Real Madrid central defender Antonio Rüdiger has been diagnosed with a leg muscle injury sustained in a Spanish league game on Saturday.

Real Madrid will boast a "new signing" for its Champions League playoff clash with Manchester City in less than a fortnight.

With just one game left to play in the Champions League league phase, Real Madrid have a slim chance of automatically qualifying for the round of 16. Going into

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.

After a chaotic final Champions League league phase matchday, Real Madrid now know their two potential opponents for the knockout phase playoffs.

Elsewhere among the eight ties, Celtic meet Bayern Munich and there is an all-French contest between minnows Brest and serial domestic champions Paris Saint-Germain. The first legs of the play-off matches will take place on February 11 and 12, with the returns a week later.

Real Madrid vs. Manchester City is now a familiar sight in the Champions League. European soccer’s most engrossing rivalry in recent years will resume in a two-legged playoff next month to reach the round of 16.

The UEFA Champions League's first-ever league phase came to a dramatic close on Wednesday, setting up for an equally entertaining knockout stage that begins in two weeks' time. The introduction of the new format means the Champions League will introduce a new phase of competition in February when 16 teams will take part in the knockout round playoffs.