MyFootballFacts > Articles
By Martin Graham | 31st Jan 2025
Manchester City will take on 15-time European Cup winners Real Madrid, while Celtic are set to face Bayern Munich in the Champions League play-off round.
City, who lifted the trophy in 2023, will play the first leg at Etihad Stadium on 11 or 12 February before heading to Madrid for the return fixture the following week. Meanwhile, Celtic, the first British team to win the competition in 1967, will meet Bayern Munich at Celtic Park before traveling to the Allianz Arena for the second leg.
The winners of these ties will go on to face either Atletico Madrid or Bayer Leverkusen in the last 16. The draw for the next stage will take place on 21 February after the conclusion of the play-off round, though certain aspects of the draw have already been set.
Full Champions League play-off draw
Brest vs Paris St-Germain
Club Brugge vs Atalanta
Manchester City vs Real Madrid
Juventus vs PSV Eindhoven
Monaco vs Benfica
Sporting vs Borussia Dortmund
Celtic vs Bayern Munich
Feyenoord vs AC Milan
Champions League play-off format
The competition’s new format saw the top eight teams in the 36-club group stage automatically qualify for the last 16, while the bottom eight were eliminated. The remaining 16 sides, which finished between ninth and 24th, advanced to the play-offs.
Among these teams, those placed between ninth and 16th were seeded and matched against an unseeded side from positions 17th to 24th. The higher-ranked teams secured the advantage of hosting the second leg.
Both Manchester City and Celtic ended the group stage in the lower half of the standings – City in 22nd place and Celtic in 21st – setting up their encounters with Real Madrid (11th) and Bayern Munich (12th), respectively.
Implications for other English clubs
Liverpool, Arsenal, and Aston Villa secured direct entry to the last 16 by finishing in the top eight of the group phase. The last-16 draw on 21 February will determine their opponents, with some matchups already structured.
Liverpool, who topped the league phase, are paired with Barcelona. One of these teams will take on the winner of Brest vs Paris St-Germain or Monaco vs Benfica. Arsenal, finishing third, are paired with fourth-placed Inter Milan, with the victors set to meet either Juventus or PSV Eindhoven, or the winner of Feyenoord vs AC Milan.
Aston Villa, who finished eighth, are paired with seventh-placed Lille. These teams will face the winner of either Club Brugge vs Atalanta or Sporting vs Borussia Dortmund.
Europa League play-offs and British teams
The Europa League follows the same structure, with AZ Alkmaar set to take on Galatasaray and Midtjylland facing Real Sociedad in the play-off round. The winners of these ties will be drawn against either Manchester United or Tottenham Hotspur in the last 16.
Twente will play Bodo/Glimt, while Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce face Anderlecht. The winners of these two fixtures will take on Rangers in the next round. United and Spurs, who finished third and fourth respectively in the group stage, joined Rangers (eighth) in the last 16 automatically.
Notable ties in this round include Porto vs Roma and Ferencvaros vs Viktoria Plzen. The victors of these matches will face either Lazio or Athletic Bilbao in the last 16.
As in the Champions League, the last-16 draw will be conducted on 21 February following the completion of the play-offs. These two-legged ties are scheduled for 13 and 20 February, with last-16 fixtures set for 6 and 13 March.
Europa League play-off draw
Ferencvaros vs Viktoria Plzen
Porto vs Roma
AZ Alkmaar vs Galatasaray
Midtjylland vs Real Sociedad
Union Saint-Gilloise vs Ajax
PAOK vs FCSB
Twente vs Bodo/Glimt
Fenerbahce vs Anderlecht
Martin Graham is an MFF sports writer
