The Real Madrid has finished the novel league phase of the Champions League in 11th position. This means it will have to play a play-off round to secure its qualification for the round of 16. Next Friday, it will find out its opponent, which will be one of two teams (whose level difference is abysmal): Celtic or Manchester City.
Speaking of this possibility, Tomás Roncero has been blunt in his latest appearance on El Larguero of SER. The journalist hasn't held back and has surprised by choosing Real Madrid's opponent, with his favorite option being Manchester City. "I prefer to face Manchester City over Celtic. It has been shown in the 14 and 15 that it's good for us to face the best," he pointed out.
In this regard, Tomás Roncero's explanation is clear: you can take down the best along the way. Since, in the case of qualifying for the round of 16 by defeating Manchester City, its next opponent would be either Atlético or Leverkusen. "You can take down Pep Guardiola and Cholo in one go," the journalist concluded.
Real Madrid, 11th: the classification of the new Champions
After eight matches, there are mixed feelings about the novel format of the Champions. The 'winner' of the league phase is Liverpool which, despite losing its last match, finished as leader with 21 points. In second position, we find Barcelona, whose final draw prevented it from catching the English team, having to settle for 19 points.
Two other teams also finished with 19 points: Arsenal and Inter. Meanwhile, in fifth position, we find Atlético, with 18. Besides the red-and-white team, it can face Real Madrid in the round of 16, the Bayer Leverkusen of Xabi Alonso, sixth with 16 points. Meanwhile, the 8 direct qualification spots were closed by Lille and Aston Villa, also with 16.
Real Madrid had to settle for 11th place, tied on points with Atalanta (9th), Dortmund (10th), Bayern (12th), and Milan (13th). At the last moment, Manchester City, Tomás Roncero's favorite opponent, managed to qualify, while clubs like Stuttgart, Shakhtar, Leipzig, or Girona were eliminated.
Next Friday's draw will be key in the future of the Champions. Besides pointing out Real Madrid's next opponent to qualify for the next round, it will definitively shape the final bracket of the competition. Tomás Roncero will follow it closely to see if he achieves his goal: facing Guardiola's Manchester City.