We were drawn against Spanish giants Real Madrid in Friday’s draw from the UEFA headquarters in Nyon.
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 in the coming days.
We’ve already played Real Madrid this season, winning 2-1 at the Bernabeu thanks to goals from Nico O’Reilly and Erling Haaland.
Here we’ll find out a little more about them…
How they reached this stage
With five wins and three defeats, Real Madrid finished ninth in the league phase with 15 points.
That meant a play-off round tie with Benfica – who beat them on the final matchday of the league phase.
They won 1-0 in Lisbon, thanks to a special Vinicius Junior goal before conceding early on at the Bernabeu but then turning it around for a 2-1 victory and 3-1 aggregate scoreline.
Domestic form
It appears to very much be a two-horse race at the top of La Liga.
Real are currently second with 60 points from 25 matches, one back from leaders Barcelona.
Their tally so far has come from 19 wins, three draws and three defeats.
They’re out of the Copa del Rey after a 3-2 defeat to second tier side Albacete in the Round of 16, while they suffered a 3-2 defeat to Barcelona in the final of the Supercopa.
European pedigree
Real might have self-styled as the ‘Kings of Europe’, but it’s hard to argue with that claim.
They’ve won the Champions League/European Cup a record 15 times, which is more than double the next best – AC Milan on seven.
They won the first five editions of the tournament, starting in 1955 with a team spearheaded by the legendary Alfredo di Stefano.
They then won one in the 1960s and three around the turn of the century, before winning it in six of the last 12 seasons.
Previous record
We’ve played Real Madrid in each of the last five seasons and in six of the last seven.
While individual matches have swung one way or another, overall the record has been remarkably even.
Of the 15 meetings, we’ve won five, Real Madrid have won five and the other five have been drawn.
We’ve scored 26 goals in that time and conceded 25.
For most City fans, the first memory conjured up will be of the 2022/23 semi-final, when we won 4-0 at the Etihad to book our place in the final.
Manager
Former defensive stalwart and Spain international Alvaro Arbeloa took over in January after the departure of Xabi Alonso.
Arbeloa had taken over the ‘B’ side last summer but has since stepped into the main job at the Bernabeu, winning eight and losing three so far.
It’s his first senior job in elite football since retiring from his playing career in 2017.
Key players
It’s hard to look past two outstanding forwards in Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior.
Mbappe is the top scorer in La Liga with 23 and the Champions League with 13. Overall in his club career, he’s played 472 times and scored 369 goals.
Vinicius’ goalscoring record isn’t quite as outstanding, but the Brazilian has been one of their star players for several years now and was undoubtedly the difference maker at the top of the pitch in their play-off tie with Benfica.
English fans will always keep an eye out for Jude Bellingham, but the midfielder could potentially miss this tie with a hamstring injury.
At the other end of the pitch, Thibaut Courtois continues to prove why he remains one of the world’s outstanding goalkeepers.
A tall, physically imposing presence, he’s produced several unbelievable performances on the very biggest stages in this tournament in particular.
Stadium
The Bernabeu is one of the most instantly recognisable stadiums in the world and has hosted the final of this tournament on four occasions; in 1957, 1969, 1980 and 2010.
With more than 83,000 seats, it’s also one of the biggest when it comes to dedicated football stadia that’s home to a club.
It recently underwent a renovation that saw a new exterior, 360 degree screen and retractable roof added, giving the venue a whole new feel from the inside.
Every Real Madrid goal at the Bernabeu is celebrated with a rendition of ‘Hala Madrid y nada mas’ over the speakers.
