Man City draw Atletico Madrid in Champions League quarter-final and discover route to final
The Sky Blues will welcome Atletico Madrid to the Etihad Stadium in the last eight of the Champions League on April 5 or 6 with the return leg the following week.
Manchester City will welcome Atletico Madrid to the Etihad Stadium in the first-leg of their Champions League quarter-final clash on April 5 or 6, with their second-leg taking place at the Metropolitano the following week.
The draw, which took place on Friday morning, will see the Sky Blues try and reach the last four of the competition for the third time in as many seasons.
City beat Sporting Lisbon 5-0 on aggregate over two-legs in their round of 16 tie to reach the quarter-finals, while Atletico saw off the Sky Blues’ cross-town rivals Manchester United 2-1 over both games to set up the last eight clash.
This is the second time is three seasons that City’s opposition have reached the quarter-finals of the competition, while being runners-up in 2014 and 2016.
Pep Guardiola’s side also discovered who they could face in the semi-finals of the Champions League if they beat Atletico over both legs, with Chelsea or Real Madrid potential opposition in the last four.
City fell to a 1-0 defeat to Chelsea in final of the competition last season, so if given a chance to face the west London team again, revenge will certainly be on their minds.
As for a potential meeting with Real Madrid in the semi-finals, the Sky Blues will be under no illusions the tough task they’d have on their hands, however, the last time these two sides met in Europe, City ran out 4-2 winners on aggregate over Los Blancos in 2020.
If Guardiola’s team reach the final of the Champions League they could meet either Villarreal, Bayern Munich, Benfica or Liverpool, with the Sky Blues allocated as the ‘away team’ if they reach the last two.
Below is a breakdown of the pathway to the final for the remaining eight clubs in the competition.
Quarter-finals:
Chelsea vs Real Madrid
City vs Atletico Madrid
Villarreal vs Bayern Munich
Benfica vs Liverpool
Semi-finals:
City or Atletico vs Chelsea or Real
Benfica or Liverpool vs Villarreal or Bayern Munich
Final:
Winner of semi-final 2 vs winner of semi-final 1
The semi-finals of the Champions League are set to take place on April 26 and 27 with the second-leg occurring on May 3 and 4.
Stade de France has been selected as this season’s final venue with the game taking place on May 28. The ground hosted the last two of the competition in 2006.