City to play either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich in Champions League play-off round | OneFootball

City will play either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich in February’s Champions League knockout phase play-off round.

Our victory over Club Brugge on Wednesday saw us finish in 22nd position in the league phase after eight matches.

Our opponents will be confirmed in Friday’s draw in Nyon and communicated on mancity.com and our official app.

This round is part of the competition’s new format in 2024/25.

The top eight teams after eight matches in that league progressed directly through to the Round of 16, while sides ninth to 24th have a two-legged play-off to decide the eight clubs that will join them.

Those placing 25th to 36th in the league phase are eliminated from the competition.

Here we’ll detail everything you need to know about the upcoming draw…

When is the draw?

The draw for the knockout phase play-off round of the 2024/25 Champions League will be held at 11:00 (UK) on Friday 31 January in Nyon, Switzerland.

As always, we’ll have the news of our opponents and full reaction on mancity.com and our official app.

How does the draw work?

The teams that finished the league phase between ninth and 16th will be seeded for the first draw for the knockout phase and will face a team placed 17th to 24th.

The seeded team will, in principle, play the return leg at home.

Potential opponents are also pre-defined by pairings of teams' final league positions.

For example, teams finishing ninth and tenth will face the sides that ended 23rd or 24th; teams finishing 11th or 12th will be drawn against either the 21st or 22nd-placed sides and so on.

So, as City finished 22nd – we know we will face either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich.

The draw starts with the unseeded teams, allocating each team from a pair of unseeded teams to one of the relevant pre-determined positions in the bracket, starting with the sides ranked 23/24 and finishing with those in 17/18.

Sides can face another team from the same national association in the knockout phase play-offs. Clubs can also face opponents they met during the league phase.

Who could City face?

We will play either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich in the play-off round, with our opponents to be confirmed on Friday morning.

When do the knockout phase play-off games take place?

These matches will be played on 11/12 & 18/19 February, with exact dates to be confirmed in the hours after the draw is completed on Friday 31 January.

These will be announced on mancity.com and our official app.

What are the key dates for the remainder of the 2024/25 Champions League?

Knockout phase play-offs: 11/12 & 18/19 February

Round of 16, quarter-final, semi-final draws: 21 February

Round of 16: 4/5 & 11/12 March

Quarter-finals: 8/9 & 15/16 April

Semi-finals: 29/30 April & 6/7 May

Final: 31 May (Munich)