Manchester City have discovered their opponents for the quarter-finals of the Champions League. So what does the holders’ road to Wembley look like now?
The Citizens are aiming to reach a third Champions League Final in four years this season after losing to Chelsea in 2021 but finally securing glory last year as part of their historic Treble-winning campaign.
Pep Guardiola came so close to delivering the trophy three years ago in Lisbon but a single Kai Havertz goal in the final broke the hearts of the City fans in attendance and all over the world.
However, City kept plugging away in the competition and after a semi-final defeat to Real Madrid in the 2021/22 edition of the Champions League, the Manchester giants returned to the final against Inter Milan last season.
City played poorly on the night but Rodri’s strike from distance was enough to separate the two sides and create history for City as they secured the trophy they have craved for years as well as the Treble.
This season, City breezed past their group stage opposition consisting of RB Leipzig, Young Boys and Red Star Belgrade. The Etihad Stadium natives won all six of their games and finished with a goal difference of plus 11.
Their reward was a very winnable two-legged last 16 clash with FC Copenhagen, who finished above Galatasaray and Manchester United in their group to qualify automatically.
City proved far too much for the Danish outfit however as back-to-back 3-1 victories secured a comfortable 6-2 aggregate victory.
Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden grabbed the goals in the first leg before Manuel Akanji, Julian Alvarez and Erling Haaland all scored first-half goals to put the tie to bed early on in the second leg.
So with City back in the Champions League quarter-finals, here is a look at the champions’ possible route to the Wembley 2024 final on June 1.
Man City’s 2023/24 Champions League quarter-final
UEFA conducted the quarter-final draw of the 2023/24 Champions League on Friday, March 15 at 11am GMT time. The draw featured Manchester City and Premier League rivals Arsenal, as well as Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid.
Atletico Madrid and Borussia Dortmund make up the quarter-final line-up after they managed to beat Inter Milan and PSV Eindhoven over two last 16 legs respectively.
Man City have been drawn against Real Madrid for their quarter-final with the ties to be played across April 9/10 and 16/17 this year.
The first leg of Man City’s Champions League quarter-final tie versus Real Madrid at the Bernabeu follows Guardiola’s men travelling to Crystal Palace in the Premier League on April 6.
While Luton Town travel to Manchester on April 13 ahead of City’s second-leg encounter at the Etihad Stadium before the team head for Tottenham Hotspur on April 20.
Man City’s 2023/24 Champions League semi-final
The draw for the semi-finals of this season’s Champions League was also mapped out on March 15 after the quarter-final matches were confirmed.
Should Man City beat Real Madrid and reach the 2023/24 Champions League semi-finals, they will face either Arsenal or Bayern Munich. Guardiola’s side can expect to play the legs on April 30 or May 1 and May 7 or 8. The first leg would follow City’s travels to Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on April 27.
Wolves will then visit the Etihad Stadium on on May 4 in the Premier League between City’s possible Champions League semi-final legs. While Guardiola’s squad are then back on the road to London as they face Fulham in the top-flight on May 11 after the second leg.
2023/24 Champions League Final
Can Manchester City reach the 2024 Champions League Final at Wembley Stadium on June 1 after beating Real Madrid in the quarter-finals and either Arsenal or Bayern Munich in the semi-finals?
It would be City’s third Champions League Final in four seasons and will provide them with a chance to win the trophy back-to-back for the first time since Real Madrid achieved the feat in 2018 against Liverpool – Los Blancos won the 2017 final against Juventus.
Wembley will host the final for a record eighth time over the tournament’s 69 editions. It is also the third time that Wembley has the final in the 32 editions as the Champions League.
The 2023/24 Champions League Final will arrive 13 days after Man City’s final Premier League fixture of the season against West Ham United when hopefully, the league title is already wrapped up by then.
Man City could also be featuring in the FA Cup Final again this season. That will be played on May 25 at Wembley which is a week before the Champions League Final.
