Who Man City Could Face in Champions League Knockout Phase Play-Off
by by Isaac Darko · YEN.com.gh News · Join- Manchester City will lock horns against one of two European heavyweights in a nightmare play-off in the Champions League.
- The English champions secured a hard-fought 31 victory over Belgian side club Brugge at the Etihad on Wednesday night
- Pep Guardiola's side have joined the other three Premier League clubs who have booked their place in next round of competition
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Manchester City have booked their place in the Champions League knockout phase play-off draw after a tense night at the Etihad.
Pep Guardiola’s side entered their final league phase fixture against Club Brugge in 25th place, needing a victory to keep their European hopes alive following last week’s 4-2 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.
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Despite a nervy first half that saw Brugge take a surprise lead through Raphael Onyedika, City responded emphatically after the break.
Goals from Mateo Kovacic, a Joel Ordonez own goal, and Savinho secured a crucial 3-1 victory, lifting the reigning Premier League champions into 22nd place.
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With the win, City will now prepare for the knockout phase play-off draw on January 31.
What’s next in the Champions League?
The revamped 36-team Champions League format saw each club play eight different opponents—four at home and four away—in the league phase.
The top eight teams have secured direct passage to the round of 16, while those finishing between ninth and 24th must battle it out in a two-legged knockout play-off for a spot in the next stage.
Who will Man City face?
After finishing 22nd, Manchester City will face a tough test against either Real Madrid (11th) or Bayern Munich (12th) in the knockout play-off. Celtic, who finished 21st, will also take on one of these European giants in their bid to reach the last 16.
How does the draw work?
UEFA's knockout phase play-off draw will take place on Friday, January 31, at 12:00 CET in Nyon, Switzerland.
Eight bowls will be used, pairing seeded and unseeded teams based on league phase rankings.
The draw starts with unseeded teams, placing them into pre-determined bracket positions before moving on to the seeded sides.
The first team drawn from this bowl is placed in their reserved spot on the silver side of the bracket.
The other unseeded team of the pairing is then drawn and displayed and allocated in the corresponding reserved spot on the blue side of the bracket.
The same procedure is carried out with the remaining unseeded clubs.
Who the other Premier League clubs could face
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that Liverpool will face one of Paris Saint-Germain, Benfica, AS Monaco, or Brest in the round of 16.
Arsenal, under Mikel Arteta, will take on either AC Milan, PSV Eindhoven, Feyenoord, or Juventus.
Meanwhile, Aston Villa’s potential opponents include Borussia Dortmund, Atalanta, Club Brugge, or Sporting CP.
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Source: YEN.com.gh