Real Madrid would not want to play Man City: Ancelotti

Real Madrid hope to avoid Manchester City in the next round, manager Carlo Ancelotti said after they beat Brest 3-0 on Wednesday to reach the Champions League playoff where they will be seeded.

The holders will face either Celtic or Manchester City in the two-legged playoff in February, with the second leg at home.

“Well, we have to wait for the draw. In theory, if we draw City, it will be tougher for both of us. But you always have to wait for the draw and see. It was a good match. We played well. We showed a good version of ourselves. The team was solid and serious. We’re content and happy. It’s a pity we didn’t wake up to this competition a bit earlier. But it is what it is and we are happy to be at this level at this time.”

The Spaniards missed direct qualification to the last 16 due to a poor start in the league phase with three losses during the first five matches.

The draw will be held on Friday in Nyon in Switzerland.

City scrape through

City kept their Champions League campaign alive by beating Club Brugge 3-1 in a nervy must-win match thanks to goals from Mateo Kovacic, substitute Savinho and an own goal from their Belgian opponents.

The victory in their league-phase finale secured Pep Guardiola’s men a spot in the two-legged playoff knockout round.

Brugge stunned the Etihad Stadium crowd seconds before halftime when Ferran Jutgla beat Matheus Nunes before sending in a long cross that Raphael Onyedika smashed into the back of the net.

Mateo Kovacic levelled in the 53rd minute when he dribbled through the heart of Brugge’s defence before unleashing a shot from the edge of the 18-yard box into the bottom corner.

City went ahead nine minutes later when Joel Ordonez slid to block Josko Gvardiol’s cross but knocked it into the net and then Savinho added a third in the 77th minute when John Stones played a pinpoint cross-field ball that the Brazilian chested down before firing it past keeper Simon Mignolet.