Real Madrid, after eliminating City, will face Leverkusen or Atlético

The adventure of the Whites in the Champions League continues. Carlo Ancelotti's men were not up to the level of their history in the league phase. They lost three matches, against Lille, Milan and Liverpool, while they walked the tightrope against Dortmund and Atalanta. They finished eleventh in the European table and had to play the play-off round, where they faced Manchester City. The reality is that they crushed the 'sky-blue' team (6-3), because the team managed by Pep Guardiola was not up to the task of the tie.

Limping, but Real Madrid is in the round of 16. If it has shown anything in its last few years, it is that the important thing for the team is the 'what', not the 'how'. So, after the great role it played in the round of 32, it now awaits its opponent in the draw this Friday, at 12:00 Spanish peninsular time. There are two possible opponents: Atlético, with the added bonus of being able to repeat a derby in the capital that satisfied no one and that reminds us of the finals in Lisbon and Milan, or Bayer Leverkusen, the team managed by Xabi Alonso.

Atlético, the rival from the capital

Kylian Mbappé's favourite option, who justified his preference with the reason of "not travelling". A Champions League tie against the Colchoneros is impossible not to remind us of those two finals, played in the 2013/2014 and 2015/2015 seasons that the white team won. However, this Atlético de Madrid is no pushover. Despite the fact that they tied in the last derby (1-1), a result that helped Barça to close the gap with the leadership that is now in their hands, the red-and-white team is in great form.

Since November, they have played 22 matches and have only lost 1 of them, against Leganés (1-0). They have drawn 3 (Villarreal, Real Madrid and Celta), two of them consecutive in the last few days. The rest have been victories (18). Their football is not brilliant, it has almost never been, but 'Cholo' has found the balance to have a solid defense and take advantage of their offensive resources, which are not few. They have reinforced themselves very well in the summer and have profiles of different characteristics in all their lines, which makes them a very competitive cast.

Their Champions League phase ended with the team among the top eight classified. Specifically, in fifth place, reached after 6 wins and 2 losses. They faced RB Leipzig, Benfica, Lille, PSG, Sparta Prague, Slovan Bratislava, Bayer Leverkusen and Salzburg. Although they did not have particularly difficult opponents, they achieved a good position in the table after overcoming the tests they had. They have only lost to Benfica and Lille.

This season, they have not lost any of the big matches they have played, against the Madrid team itself, twice and both times they drew (1-1), FC Barcelona, ​​​​victory (1-2), PSG, victory (1-2), and Leverkusen, victory (2-1). The only matches in which they have not been up to par were against Benfica, at the Estádio da Luz, which they lost 4-0, and against Lille, at home (1-3). The reality is that, if there is any advantage to facing this Atlético, it is, as Mbappé said, not to travel. If chance decides that there is a third and fourth Madrid derby, the club presided over by Florentino Pérez will have to sweat blood to get through to the next round.

Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen

The German super champion is a very tough opponent to beat. Led by Xabi Alonso, the Aspirins touched glory last season by winning the Bundesliga unbeaten, 17 points ahead of second-placed Stuttgart. This year, they are second in the domestic competition, 8 points behind Bayern Munich, with 13 wins, 8 draws and 1 loss. They continue to have a hard time losing to this team. Regarding Europe, Leverkusen finished the league phase in sixth place, after winning 5 games, drawing 1 and losing 2.

Their rivals in the Champions League were Feyenoord, Milan, Brest, Liverpool, Salzburg, Inter, Atlético and Sparta Prague. They fell to the English team led by Arne Slot at Anfield (4-0), and to the Colchoneros (2-1). The match that ended in a draw was against the French team (1-1), recently eliminated after receiving a sovereign thrashing from PSG in the round of 32 (10-0). So, after resting in the play-off, now it's time for him to put on his work clothes and he could have to play against Real Madrid.

If this match happens, Xabi Alonso would return to the Santiago Bernabéu, which was his home between 2019 and 2014. In addition, the Tolosan has been linked for some time as a possible replacement for Ancelotti on the Real Madrid bench, so it would be a good opportunity to show what he's worth. Whatever the case, the Madrid team will have a difficult round of 16. We'll have to wait until Friday to see what fate decides.