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.

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.

It will be Real Madrid vs. Manchester City yet again in the Champions League — but never as early as this, and for the first time with a Kylian Mbappé vs. Erling Haaland matchup. Two heavyweights who struggled in the new eight-game league phase were the standout pairing Friday in the draw for the new knockout playoffs round.