Champions League Draw: Manchester City Get Real…Again

There are three certainties in life: dying, taxes, and Manchester Metropolis dealing with Actual Madrid within the Champions League. Alternatively, you would simply change Actual with ‘dealing with a former participant’ because it was virtually a certainty that Metropolis would draw in opposition to Napoli, the brand new dwelling of Kevin de Bruyne.

And, on a night in Monaco in August, each of these got here true as Manchester Metropolis found their Champions League destiny for the 2025/26 season.

Within the second season of the brand new look format, Metropolis had been ‘drawn’ in opposition to the 2 golf equipment. Properly, I say drawn – their identify was chosen from a bowl, a button was pressed and a pc, not a human, drew the groups that every membership may face.

Actual had been first to be drawn and you would virtually hear UEFA’s pc, screaming the identify Manchester Metropolis earlier than Brazilian legend Kaka, who was as soon as a supposed Metropolis goal, had pushed the button to disclose the Spanish big’s opponents.

As a substitute of groups being drawn in opposition to three groups and taking part in one another dwelling and away, the brand new format now pitches groups as soon as in opposition to one another – two groups from every of the 4 pots. The pc even decides whether or not the matches will likely be performed at dwelling or away, which renders the ceremony and the appearances of Kaka and Swedish egotist Zlatan Ibrahimovic just about redundant.

Regardless of the looks of Actual’s identify alongside Metropolis’s, Liverpool had been additionally drawn to face them, nevertheless, they are going to play their match at Anfield whereas Metropolis will journey to the Spanish capital.

It will need to have merely been a coincidence that the Blues face Actual once more, and in a double coincidence, Metropolis had been additionally paired in opposition to Napoli – the identical Napoli that signed Kevin de Bruyne on a free switch this summer time. On that event, the Blues will face the Italian aspect at dwelling, and, whereas de Bruyne could have nothing however love for the trustworthy, he might have one thing to show in opposition to the aspect he was reluctant to go away.

Metropolis’s different opponents had been, as soon as once more, Erling Haaland’s previous membership, Borussia Dortmund, Bernardo Silva’s former membership Monaco and Galatasaray, who’re nonetheless rumoured to be seeking to signal Ederson. It’s going to be extra like an previous boys reunion than the Champions League.

The Blues may even face Villareal, Bayer Leverkusen and Bodo/Glimt, who reached the quarter finals of final yr’s Europa League. Additionally they confronted Manchester United in final season’s competitors, narrowly shedding 3-2 at Outdated Trafford.

Borussia Dortmund (Dwelling),

England have six groups within the Champions League this season, with Newcastle in all probability being the workforce that ought to quit now.

The Geordies face holders PSG in Paris, Barcelona, Benfica, Marseille and Bilbao, whereas Arsenal will face Bayern, Inter and Atletico Madrid. In addition to dealing with Metropolis, KDB will look to make an impression at dwelling to Chelsea, with the moist London aspect drawn in opposition to Napoli, Barca, Bayern, Benfica and the shock workforce from final season, Atalanta. Liverpool will face each Madrid sides and Inter, whereas Spurs face Dortmund, PSG and Villareal.

A minimum of Metropolis are getting the Madrid tie out of the way in which…till we face them within the final eight!

What do you assume? Do you fee Metropolis’s probabilities of qualifying outright this time after the draw? Or do you see one other torrid time for the Blues on this season’s competitors?

Tell us your ideas.