**Manchester City sporting director Hugo Viana has issued his first reaction to the club’s knockout phase draw, and the last-16 clash against Real Madrid.**
The clash between the English and Spanish giants marks the sixth time in seven seasons that the two heavyweights have met in the knockout stages, after Los Blancos successfully navigated a play-off against Benfica.
With City finishing as a top-eight seed in the league phase, Pep Guardiola’s side have ensured the first leg will take place at the Bernabéu, with the decisive second leg held at the Etihad Stadium in mid-March.
Elsewhere in the draw, Arsenal – who finished top of the league phase – have been handed a favourable tie against Bayer Leverkusen, while Newcastle faces a glamorous showdown with Barcelona.
Elsewhere, Liverpool face Galatasaray, and Tottenham – currently battling for domestic survival – must navigate a two-legged affair against Diego Simeone’s notoriously physical Atlético Madrid.
Speaking from UEFA’s headquarters in Nyon following the draw for the knockout stage of the Champions League, Hugo Viana labelled Manchester City’s clash with Real Madrid as being similar to a final.
“It’s a big game for both teams,” Viana told reporters. “We played against each other already in the group phase. It will be a really nice game to watch and a nice game to be involved in.”
The Portuguese director continued, “Of course it’s like a final. We are happy to go there again and to have this kind of opponent and these kind of games.”
Manchester City have also found out their pathway to a potential Champions League final in Budapest at the end of May, with the club facing the prospect of a quarter-final clash against the winner of Atalanta against Bayern Munich.
Reaching the semi-final of the competition would then see Manchester City take on one of Galatasaray, Liverpool, Paris Saint-Germain or Chelsea. “It’s too soon to speak about the final,” insisted Hugo Viana.
“We should think about it game by game. Now we have a strong opponent to face \[in Real Madrid\] and we cannot think about the final.”
Manchester City’s road to the first leg of their Champions League showdown with Real Madrid is a dense three-game stretch, beginning with a high-stakes trip to Elland Road to face Leeds United on Saturday evening.
City will then Nottingham Forest at the Etihad Stadium, followed by a quick turnaround for a Saturday night FA Cup Fifth Round clash away at Newcastle on March 7, before the squad will then travel to Spain for the first-leg against Alvaro Arbeloa’s men.
Success in these three domestic hurdles will be vital for maintaining the momentum required to walk into the Bernabéu and take a positive result back to Manchester ahead of the second-leg against Madrid.