UCL knockout play-offs second leg: Madrid host City, Celtic eye historic night at Allianz

New Delhi, Feb 18 (IANS) Eight teams will have sealed their spot, to complete the list of teams, in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 on Thursday. Manchester City’s trip to the Santiago Bernabeu headline the second leg of the knockout phase play-offs.

Arsenal, Aston Villa, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Bayer Leverkusen, LOSC Lille and Liverpool have already qualified for the round of 16 after finishing in the league phase top eight.

FC Bayern Munich (2) vs Celtic FC (1)

Just six days on from claiming a 2-1 first-leg advantage in Scotland, Bayern now welcome Celtic to the Allianz Arena for the return fixture of their Champions League play-off tie on Tuesday. Celtic will need to make history, though, if they’re to turn this tie around in Munich.

The 54-time champions of Scotland have never won in 15 European games away at German clubs (D3, L12), while they have only ever won twice on the road in the Champions League in 43 attempts (D6, L35), with the last coming at Anderlecht in September 2017 (3-0).

Real Madrid (3) vs Manchester City (2)

The first leg delivered several captivating moments, notably the high-scoring match between Manchester City and Real Madrid, where Madrid emerged victorious by a single goal. This result added to Manchester City’s challenging season, both in the Champions League and domestically.

After City’s loss at home, the defending champions now have the advantage as they return to the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, where they’ve staged memorable comebacks in the past.

Manchester City has reinforced their team with a few new signings in January, including Omar Marmoush from Egypt, adding much-needed edge to the Manchester City attack, which has been lacking on many occasions this season. Marmoush has already shown Pep Guardiola that the investment is worthwhile, with his recent hat-trick against Newcastle.

Furthermore, it will be a test for Manchester City’s leaky defence, as they go up against the likes of Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo. While the on-field battle is evident, the tactical war off the field between Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti will be the deciding factor.

Schedule:

Tuesday, February 18

Milan vs Feyenoord

First leg: 0-1

Wednesday, February 19

Benfica vs Monaco

First leg: 1-0

Bayern vs Celtic

First leg: 2-1

Atalanta vs Club Brugge

First leg: 1-2

Borussia Dortmund vs Sporting CP