Reigning champion Real Madrid will face 2023 winner Manchester City in the plum tie of the playoff round of this season's Champions League, following Friday's draw.
It is the fourth year running in which the sides have been drawn against each other in a knockout tie, with Real emerging victorious in a penalty shootout in the quarterfinals last season.
City, which scraped through after finishing 22nd in the league phase in this first season of the new format for Europe's elite club competition, knew it faced a tough draw with Bayern Munich being its other possible opponents.
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