Manchester City and Real Madrid are going head-to-head again in the Champions League, with the eventual loser facing an unusually early exit from European club soccer’s most prestigious tournament

Manchester City versus Real Madrid will be just the fourth fixture in European Cup/Uefa Champions League history to played in four consecutive seasons, after Deportivo de La Coruna vs Juventus (4 from 2000-01 to 2003-04), Chelsea vs Liverpool (5 from 2004-05 to 2008-09), and Atletico de Madrid vs Real Madrid (4 from 2013-14 to 2016-17).

Hello there! And just like that, another UEFA Champions League week is upon us. Ahead of the first-ever edition of the knockout phase playoffs, I'm Pardeep Cattry with the latest ahead of a consequential week of action in Europe.