The draw for the Champions League knockout phase play-offs took centre stage at Uefa headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland on Friday. The teams that finished ninth to 24th in the inaugural league phase of the revamped competition were those involved in proceedings this morning. Sides that placed ninth to 16th are seeded for the draw, with the rest unseeded as the bracket begins.
The pairings of those final league positions meant that clubs already knew which two opponents they could face in the play-offs. So Manchester City’s reward for beating Club Brugge 3-1 at home on Wednesday night is a blockbuster two-legged tie against Real Madrid. The European giants will now meet in the Champions League for a fourth successive season and this latest showdown promises much.
