Real Madrid has confirmed a second injury to a first team star which will likewise severely affect planning for a Champions League showdown with Manchester City.

Real Madrid take on Manchester City in the Champions League as two of the biggest clubs in Europe fight for a spot in the round of 16. In what is a final worthy

Defending champions Real Madrid will renew their Champions League rivalry with 2023 winners Manchester City in a blockbuster knockout phase playoff tie after the two teams were pitted against each other in the draw held in Nyon on Friday.

Real Madrid central defender Antonio Rüdiger has been diagnosed with a leg muscle injury sustained in a Spanish league game on Saturday.

Real Madrid vs. Manchester City is now a familiar sight in the Champions League. European soccer’s most engrossing rivalry in recent years will resume in a two-legged playoff next month to reach the round of 16.

Real Madrid is celebrating its return to good form despite placing low in the Champions League and failing to avoid a possible playoff against Manchester City. Madrid's slow start in the European competition kept the defending champion from going straight into the round of 16 — and possibly set up an encounter with Man City in the playoffs.

Elsewhere among the eight ties, Celtic meet Bayern Munich and there is an all-French contest between minnows Brest and serial domestic champions Paris Saint-Germain. The first legs of the play-off matches will take place on February 11 and 12, with the returns a week later.

Friday's draw on CBS Sports Golazo Network detailed the start to the path to the Champions League final at Munich's Allianz Arena on May 31, resolving the next round of matchuops though team's ultimate paths remain unsettled. Teams ranked ninth through 16th at the end of the league phase were seeded and drawn against one of the unseeded teams.

Real Madrid will play Manchester City in the Champions League knockout playoffs round in a standout clash of the past two title winners after the draw was made Friday.

Real Madrid confirmed a huge injury blow which will severly affect head coach Carlo Ancelotti’s plans for this month’s Champions League clash with Manchester City.

The UEFA Champions League's first-ever league phase came to a dramatic close on Wednesday, setting up for an equally entertaining knockout stage that begins in two weeks' time. The introduction of the new format means the Champions League will introduce a new phase of competition in February when 16 teams will take part in the knockout round playoffs.