Manchester City will learn their next Champions League opponents on Friday and Micah Richards is hoping they avoid one team.
Manchester City cruised into the Champions League quarter-finals two weeks ago with another 3-1 win over FC Copenhagen.
First-half goals from Manuel Akanji, Julian Alvarez and Erling Haaland secured a 6-2 aggregate win and passage to the final eight.
They have been joined by Premier League rivals Arsenal, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain in the final stages of the competition.
It’s a quality contingent of teams but Micah Richards thinks Pep Guardiola’s team needs to avoid Real Madrid more than any other.
Micah Richards on City’s Champions League chances
Richards told The Rest is Football podcast: “I think City are the best team in the competition but I do believe it could go any way.
“If Man City were to get Real Madrid in the quarters, you know what Real Madrid can do.
“A couple of years ago at their place, they beat PSG when they were losing, they beat Chelsea when they were losing, they’ve come back against Man City as well.
“Anything could happen in the Champions League. In terms of squad, I would say Man City are probably the favourites.”
When is the Champions League quarter-final draw
The draw for the Champions League quarter-final will be held on Friday, March 15.
UEFA will host the ceremony in their headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland and proceedings will get underway at 11am.
The draw will be televised on TNT Sports but will also be available to watch on UEFA’s official website and their YouTube channel.
Unlike the last 16 draw, no teams are seeded and there are no restrictions on facing teams from your own country.
Following the quarter-final draw, the semi-finals will be drawn as well which means City will know their possible pathway to Wembley and a second successive final.
The Blues are the reigning champions after they defeated Inter in last year’s final to win the trophy for the first time and secure a treble triumph.
