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"contents": "<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Current European Champions League holders Real Madrid are poised to clash with 2023 European champions Manchester City in a do-or-die playoff match after the two sides failed to qualify automatically for the round of 16.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For the ongoing soccer season, the European Football Associations (Uefa) unveiled a </span><a href=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-08-30-untangling-the-new-european-champions-league-format-following-its-formal-introduction/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">new version of the Champions League</span></a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> — which is Europe’s premier club competition and one of most popular sports competitions in the world.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Under the rejigged format of the Champions League, Uefa did away with the tradition of multiple mini-leagues that featured four teams each. For the 2024/25 season, the custodian of European soccer opted for a 36-team league format. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, unlike a traditional league — where each participating team plays the other twice — in this league format of the Champions League, each team was drawn against eight different teams. They played four of these randomly picked opponents at home, with the other four fixtures being away from home. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At the end of it all, the top eight teams reached the </span><a href=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-01-30-liverpool-and-barcelona-lead-the-charge-in-exhilarating-new-look-champions-league/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">round of 16 automatically</span></a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. They will now be watching while the teams that placed ninth to 24th on the table face each other in the two-legged playoff round to determine who will join them in the last 16 proper. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The teams that are enjoying a break while their potential opponents slug it out are Liverpool, Barcelona, Arsenal, Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Lille and Aston Villa.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Meanwhile, City and Madrid — as well as Atalanta, Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, AC Milan, PSV Eindhoven, Paris St-Germain, Benfica, Monaco, Brest, Feyenoord, Juventus, Celtic, Sporting and Club Brugge — will fight to stay alive in the competition over the next fortnight.</span>\r\n<h4><b>Marquee playoff fixture </b></h4>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At the 31 January 2025 draw, City and Madrid were pitted against each other, which means only one of the European soccer giants will progress to the round of 16. City find themselves in this position after the reigning English champions squeezed through to this stage of the competition by finishing 22nd on the table, just above automatic elimination. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Madrid were slightly better off as they ended the league phase in 11th spot. Nevertheless, it was a disappointing display from the Spanish side, who are the record European champions – with 15 titles to their name to date. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This will be the fourth time the football powerhouses have met in Europe over the past four seasons. From those encounters, there have been four wins for City and three for Los Blancos; five encounters have ended in stalemates. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“I don’t like playing against Manchester City so much,” said Real forward Rodrygo. “Nobody likes playing against City, as much as (no one likes) playing against us. I was happy after many games against them, and I hope after this game I will be happy again.” </span>\r\n\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2586176\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/12784789-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1783\" /> <em>Rodrygo of Real Madrid in action during the Uefa Champions League match against Stade Brestois 29 in Guingamp, France, on 29 January 2025. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Christophe Petit Tesson)</em></p>\r\n\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2586175\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/12774554-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1709\" /> <em>Kevin de Bruyne of Manchester City. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Tim Keeton) </em></p>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“I’ve faced Madrid in almost every round, from the second stage to the semifinals, over the past decade. We know why we’re in this position — we didn’t perform well enough earlier. That’s the reality. At this level, it’s always about small margins,” said veteran City midfielder Kevin de Bruyne.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“We’re aware it’s a huge match, and both teams have quality. Since it’s a two-legged tie, there’s no need to get overly frantic,” De Bruyne added. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">De Bruyne’s manager Pep Guardiola says his team only have themselves to blame for the difficult position they are in. Though Madrid’s struggles have only been in the Champions League this season, City’s strife has seen them also battle to defend their English Premier League crown. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“We play the second game away because we were not good in the group stage. When you finish 22nd you cannot ask for any favours,” Guardiola said. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The two teams clash on Tuesday, 11 February at 10pm. </span>\r\n<h4><b>New format birth</b></h4>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The idea when Uefa introduced a new format of the European Champions League was to somewhat mimic the ill-fated </span><a href=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2021-04-21-european-footballs-super-league-already-on-the-brink-of-collapse/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Super League</span></a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The latter competition was born in 2021, as a number of the continent’s heavyweights felt that Uefa was short-changing them.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Teams such as Real, Barcelona, Man City, Chelsea and Juventus — among others — made a decision that they wanted to break away from the Champions League. This in order to form their own version of the world’s most enthralling club competition. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“We have come together at this critical moment, enabling European competition to be transformed, putting the game we love on a sustainable footing for the long-term future,” said Andrea Agnelli, who was Juve’s chairperson at the time. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Essentially, the rebels wanted a bigger piece of the soccer pie, although by the nature of their stature and standing in European football, they are guaranteed quite a big piece already. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This rebellion from clubs prompted Fifa and Uefa to work together in a bid to reinvigorate the existing Champions League. 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"description": "<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Current European Champions League holders Real Madrid are poised to clash with 2023 European champions Manchester City in a do-or-die playoff match after the two sides failed to qualify automatically for the round of 16.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For the ongoing soccer season, the European Football Associations (Uefa) unveiled a </span><a href=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-08-30-untangling-the-new-european-champions-league-format-following-its-formal-introduction/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">new version of the Champions League</span></a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> — which is Europe’s premier club competition and one of most popular sports competitions in the world.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Under the rejigged format of the Champions League, Uefa did away with the tradition of multiple mini-leagues that featured four teams each. For the 2024/25 season, the custodian of European soccer opted for a 36-team league format. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, unlike a traditional league — where each participating team plays the other twice — in this league format of the Champions League, each team was drawn against eight different teams. They played four of these randomly picked opponents at home, with the other four fixtures being away from home. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At the end of it all, the top eight teams reached the </span><a href=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-01-30-liverpool-and-barcelona-lead-the-charge-in-exhilarating-new-look-champions-league/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">round of 16 automatically</span></a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. They will now be watching while the teams that placed ninth to 24th on the table face each other in the two-legged playoff round to determine who will join them in the last 16 proper. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The teams that are enjoying a break while their potential opponents slug it out are Liverpool, Barcelona, Arsenal, Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Lille and Aston Villa.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Meanwhile, City and Madrid — as well as Atalanta, Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, AC Milan, PSV Eindhoven, Paris St-Germain, Benfica, Monaco, Brest, Feyenoord, Juventus, Celtic, Sporting and Club Brugge — will fight to stay alive in the competition over the next fortnight.</span>\r\n<h4><b>Marquee playoff fixture </b></h4>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At the 31 January 2025 draw, City and Madrid were pitted against each other, which means only one of the European soccer giants will progress to the round of 16. City find themselves in this position after the reigning English champions squeezed through to this stage of the competition by finishing 22nd on the table, just above automatic elimination. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Madrid were slightly better off as they ended the league phase in 11th spot. Nevertheless, it was a disappointing display from the Spanish side, who are the record European champions – with 15 titles to their name to date. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This will be the fourth time the football powerhouses have met in Europe over the past four seasons. From those encounters, there have been four wins for City and three for Los Blancos; five encounters have ended in stalemates. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“I don’t like playing against Manchester City so much,” said Real forward Rodrygo. “Nobody likes playing against City, as much as (no one likes) playing against us. I was happy after many games against them, and I hope after this game I will be happy again.” </span>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2586176\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"2560\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-2586176\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/12784789-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1783\" /> <em>Rodrygo of Real Madrid in action during the Uefa Champions League match against Stade Brestois 29 in Guingamp, France, on 29 January 2025. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Christophe Petit Tesson)</em>[/caption]\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2586175\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"2560\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-2586175\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/12774554-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1709\" /> <em>Kevin de Bruyne of Manchester City. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Tim Keeton) </em>[/caption]\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“I’ve faced Madrid in almost every round, from the second stage to the semifinals, over the past decade. We know why we’re in this position — we didn’t perform well enough earlier. That’s the reality. At this level, it’s always about small margins,” said veteran City midfielder Kevin de Bruyne.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“We’re aware it’s a huge match, and both teams have quality. Since it’s a two-legged tie, there’s no need to get overly frantic,” De Bruyne added. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">De Bruyne’s manager Pep Guardiola says his team only have themselves to blame for the difficult position they are in. Though Madrid’s struggles have only been in the Champions League this season, City’s strife has seen them also battle to defend their English Premier League crown. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“We play the second game away because we were not good in the group stage. When you finish 22nd you cannot ask for any favours,” Guardiola said. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The two teams clash on Tuesday, 11 February at 10pm. </span>\r\n<h4><b>New format birth</b></h4>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The idea when Uefa introduced a new format of the European Champions League was to somewhat mimic the ill-fated </span><a href=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2021-04-21-european-footballs-super-league-already-on-the-brink-of-collapse/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Super League</span></a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The latter competition was born in 2021, as a number of the continent’s heavyweights felt that Uefa was short-changing them.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Teams such as Real, Barcelona, Man City, Chelsea and Juventus — among others — made a decision that they wanted to break away from the Champions League. This in order to form their own version of the world’s most enthralling club competition. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“We have come together at this critical moment, enabling European competition to be transformed, putting the game we love on a sustainable footing for the long-term future,” said Andrea Agnelli, who was Juve’s chairperson at the time. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Essentially, the rebels wanted a bigger piece of the soccer pie, although by the nature of their stature and standing in European football, they are guaranteed quite a big piece already. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This rebellion from clubs prompted Fifa and Uefa to work together in a bid to reinvigorate the existing Champions League. 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"search_description": "<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Current European Champions League holders Real Madrid are poised to clash with 2023 European champions Manchester City in a do-or-die playoff match after the two sides ",
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"social_description": "<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Current European Champions League holders Real Madrid are poised to clash with 2023 European champions Manchester City in a do-or-die playoff match after the two sides ",
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Rodrygo of Real Madrid in action during the Uefa Champions League match against Stade Brestois 29 in Guingamp, France, on 29 January 2025. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Christophe Petit Tesson)
Kevin de Bruyne of Manchester City. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Tim Keeton)