Real Madrid and Mbappé vs. Man City and Haaland in standout of Champions League knockout playoffs

NYON, Switzerland (AP) — It will be Real Madrid vs. Manchester City yet again in the Champions League — but never as early as this, and for the first time with a Kylian Mbappé vs. Erling Haaland matchup.

Two heavyweights who struggled in the new eight-game league phase were the standout pairing Friday in the draw for the new knockout playoffs round. City had to be drawn against Bayern Munich or defending champion Madrid.

Madrid and City met in three semifinals and one quarterfinal in the past nine years and each time the winner went on to lift the trophy.

This time it is a two-leg playoff just for the right to enter the round of 16 because each lost three of eight games in the 36-team league and failed to advance direct among the top eight placed teams.

“The draw is the draw and we have to accept it,” said Real Madrid director Emilio Butragueno, who smiled and dismissed the idea the English champion is less of a threat in what has been the toughest of coach Pep Guardiola’s nine years in charge.

“We have to think they are going to perform at the very high level against Real Madrid,” the former Spain scoring great said. “No doubt.”

City, the 2023 champion in Haaland's debut season, will host the first leg in Manchester on Feb. 11 or 12 and the return game is on Feb. 18 or 19. Madrid won a record-extending 15th European title last season and then added Mbappé to an already stellar team.

The winner will then face either Atletico Madrid or Bayer Leverkusen, the Nos. 5 and 6 teams in the 36-team standings that ended Wednesday. Other teams through to the round of 16 in March are Liverpool, Barcelona, Arsenal, Inter Milan, Lille and Aston Villa.

Teams that finished from Nos. 9 to 24 in the standings dropped into the two-leg knockout playoffs.

Also Friday, it was Celtic vs. Bayern Munich, Brest vs. Paris Saint-Germain, Monaco vs. Benfica, Juventus vs. PSV Eindhoven, Feyenoord vs. AC Milan, Club Brugge vs. Atalanta; and Sporting Lisbon vs. Borussia Dortmund.

Madrid placed 11th and Man City barely qualified in 22nd, after rallying to beat Club Brugge 3-1 in a must-win game.

By finishing in 22nd Man City knew it would have to face No. 11 Madrid or No. 12 Bayern in the playoffs. Bayern was drawn instead to face 21st-place Celtic.

“It's a crazy situation,” said Bayern sporting director Christophe Freund of having four European champions with a combined 23 titles — including seven of the last nine — in the same section of the draw before even the round of 16.

Bayern won its sixth European title in 2020, the pandemic shutdown season, when Madrid and City also met in February for a round of 16, first-leg game but the return was played more than five months later in August. City won both legs 2-1 then was eliminated by Lyon.

The tennis-style seedings and knockout bracket in the fresh competition format also now allows teams from the same country to face each other before the quarterfinals. That was not possible for the past two decades when the round of 16 opened the knockout phase.

That left PSG to be drawn Friday to face French rival Brest, which it also plays in a Ligue 1 game Saturday. That sent Monaco — which could have faced its French title rival PSG — to face Benfica.

Monaco chief executive Thiago Scuro, whose team faces PSG in the league next week, after a previous league game in December and the French Super Cup in January, suggested another local rivalry would have been “too many games against the same opponents.”

“For the fans it's more interesting the way the draw is (today),” Scuro said, though Monaco already played Benfica on Nov. 27, losing 3-2 at home.

National derby games between Italian and Dutch sides were avoided because AC Milan was paired with Feyenoord, before Juventus was drawn to face PSV. Feyenoord will return to San Siro where it won the 1970 European Cup final against Celtic.

The new format now allows teams to meet in the first knockout round after already facing each other in the opening stage. Another repeat game is Juventus-PSV, after the Italian side won 3-1 in the opening set of matches in September.

The Feb. 21 draw for the round of 16 will set the knockout bracket through to the May 31 final at Bayern Munich's stadium.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

The group formations are shown on an electronic panel after drawing the UEFA Champions League knockout phase play-off draw, at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 31, 2025. (Martial Trezzini/Keystone via AP)

Spain's former player Thiago Alcantara shows a ticket of Real Madrid during the UEFA Champions League knockout phase play-off draw, at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 31, 2025. (Martial Trezzini/Keystone via AP)

Munich's Harry Kane, left, celebrates after scoring his side's second goal with Joshua Kimmich during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Bayern Munich and Slovan Bratislava at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, Jan. 29, 2025. (Sven Hoppe/dpa via AP)

Real Madrid's Rodrygo, left, celebrates with his teammate Kylian Mbappe after scoring his side's third goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Brest and Real Madrid at Roudourou stadium in Guingamp, France, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola reacts during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Manchester City and Club Brugge at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. (Mike Egerton/PA via AP)

NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of nurses in three hospital systems in New York City went on strike Monday after negotiations through the weekend failed to yield breakthroughs in their contract disputes.

The strike was taking place at The Mount Sinai Hospital and two of its satellite campuses, with picket lines forming. The other affected hospitals are NewYork-Presbyterian and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.

About 15,000 nurses are involved in the strike, according to New York State Nurses Association.

“After months of bargaining, management refused to make meaningful progress on core issues that nurses have been fighting for: safe staffing for patients, healthcare benefits for nurses, and workplace violence protections,” the union said in a statement issued Monday. “Management at the richest hospitals in New York City are threatening to discontinue or radically cut nurses’ health benefits.”

The strike, which comes during a severe flu season, could potentially force the hospitals to transfer patients, cancel procedures or divert ambulances. It could also put a strain on city hospitals not involved in the contract dispute, as patients avoid the medical centers hit by the strike.

The hospitals involved have been hiring temporary nurses to try and fill the labor gap during the walkout, and said in a statement during negotiations that they would “do whatever is necessary to minimize disruptions.” Montefiore posted a message assuring patients that appointments would be kept.

“NYSNA’s leaders continue to double down on their $3.6 billion in reckless demands, including nearly 40% wage increases, and their troubling proposals like demanding that a nurse not be terminated if found to be compromised by drugs or alcohol while on the job," Montefiore spokesperson Joe Solmonese said Monday after the strike had started. "We remain resolute in our commitment to providing safe and seamless care, regardless of how long the strike may last.”

New York-Presbyterian accused the union of staging a strike to “create disruption,” but said in a statement that it has taken steps to ensure patients receive the care they need.

"We’re ready to keep negotiating a fair and reasonable contract that reflects our respect for our nurses and the critical role they play, and also recognizes the challenging realities of today’s healthcare environment,” the statement said.

The work stoppage is occurring at multiple hospitals simultaneously, but each medical center is negotiating with the union independently. Several other hospitals across the city and in its suburbs reached deals in recent days to avert a possible strike.

The nurses’ demands vary by hospital, but the major issues include staffing levels and workplace safety. The union says hospitals have given nurses unmanageable workloads.

Nurses also want better security measures in the workplace, citing incidents like a an incident last week, when a man with a sharp object barricaded himself in a Brooklyn hospital room and was then killed by police.

The union also wants limitations on hospitals’ use of artificial intelligence.

The nonprofit hospitals involved in the negotiations say they’ve been working to improve staffing levels, but say the union’s demands overall are too costly.

Nurses voted to authorize the strike last month.

Both New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani had expressed concern about the possibility of the strike. As the strike deadline neared, Mamdani urged both sides to keep negotiating and reach a deal that “both honors our nurses and keeps our hospitals open.”

“Our nurses kept this city alive through its hardest moments. Their value is not negotiable,” Mamdani said.

State Attorney General Letitia James voiced similar support, saying "nurses put their lives on the line every day to keep New Yorkers healthy. They should never be forced to choose between their own safety, their patients’ well-being, and a fair contract.”

The last major nursing strike in the city was only three years ago, in 2023. That work stoppage, at Mount Sinai and Montefiore, was short, lasting three days. It resulted in a deal raising pay 19% over three years at those hospitals.

It also led to promised staffing improvements, though the union and hospitals now disagree about how much progress has been made, or whether the hospitals are retreating from staffing guarantees.

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

FILE - A medical worker transports a patient at Mount Sinai Hospital, April 1, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)