Ancelotti Admits He’d Rather Avoid Manchester City in Champions League Playoffs

Real Madrid boss acknowledges City’s strength as both clubs face an unexpected knockout round

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has shared his thoughts on the possibility of facing Manchester City in the Champions League knockout phase playoffs—a scenario neither club anticipated at the start of the season.

Both teams, considered among the favorites to win the tournament, endured inconsistent performances in the newly introduced league phase. As a result, they failed to secure a top-eight finish, which would have granted them automatic qualification to the last 16.

City, who needed a win in their final league-phase game, came from behind to defeat Club Brugge 3-1 at the Etihad Stadium. Meanwhile, Real Madrid had a smoother path, sealing a 3-0 victory over Brest. Despite the win, Los Blancos finished 11th in the standings, while City landed in 22nd place, meaning both clubs must now fight for a last-16 spot through the play-offs.

Ancelotti’s Preference: Avoiding City

Real Madrid will face either Manchester City or Celtic in the playoffs, and Ancelotti made no secret of his preferred opponent.

“We don’t like to play against City… they have more chances to win the Champions League,” he admitted. “It’s a draw, and what comes, comes. To win the Champions League, you have to win every game.”

Reflecting on Real Madrid’s struggle to make the top eight, Ancelotti acknowledged their slow start to the season.

“We should have woken up earlier in this competition. Now it’s like this,” he said.

Guardiola Aware of the Challenge Ahead

On the other side, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is preparing his team for a potential showdown with either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich. While he recognizes the difficulty of the task, he remains hopeful that City can rise to the occasion.

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“Going to Bayern Munich or Real Madrid will be really tough,” Guardiola admitted. “But in two weeks, we’ll have a few players back—new signings, key players—so hopefully, we can put in two good performances.”

The Spanish manager also acknowledged that both potential opponents currently hold an edge over City.

“Right now, they are better than us, but I don’t know what’s going to happen in two weeks,” he added. “If we get Ruben [Dias], Nathan [Aké], Jeremy [Doku], and Oscar [Bobb] back, we can compete.”

Champions League Playoff Dates

The knockout phase playoffs will be played over two legs next month, with the first matches set for February 11 and 12, followed by the return legs on February 18 and 19. The draw will determine whether Real Madrid and Manchester City will face off in a high-stakes rematch, or if they will take on Celtic and Bayern Munich, respectively.

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