City were paired with the 15-times winners in the last-16 knockout round with the ties to be played on the 10/11 and 17/18 March, with the second leg at the Etihad Stadium.
We’ve already faced the Spanish giants this season in the league phase, winning 2-1 at the Bernabeu in December thanks to goals from Nico O’Reilly and Erling Haaland.
This will be the sixth two-legged tie between the two clubs in the last seven seasons, with City progressing in two of the previous five meetings stretching back to 2019/20.
With City or Real featuring in four of the last five Champions League finals, the draw has brought together two of the most successful sides of recent years.
WATCH: City’s best moments against Real Madrid
“It’s a big game for both teams,” Viana said following the draw at UEFA’s headquarters in Nyon.
“We played against each other already in the group phase.
“It will be a really nice game to watch and a nice game to be involved in. Of course it’s like a final.
“We are happy to go there again and to have this kind of opponent and these kind of games.”
The draw also outlined potential opponents for the quarter-finals and semi-finals should we make it.
City will face either Atalanta or Bayern Munich in the last eight, with the possibility of Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, Galatasaray or Liverpool in a semi-final.
However, Viana says no one will be looking too far ahead, with such a difficult Round of 16 tie to navigate.
WATCH: Champions League highlights: Real Madrid 1-2 City
“It’s too soon to speak about the final,” he said when asked about progressing in the competition. “We should think about it game by game.
“Now we have a strong opponent to face and we cannot think about the final.”
The ties will be played on the 10/11 and 17/18 March, with City to host the second leg after finishing in the top eight of the league phase.
Exact fixture dates, kick-off times and ticket details will follow on mancity.com and our official app later today.
