LONDON: Now the jeopardy really kicks in for the Champions League with a title chase, pride and hard cash on the line.

At least four former European champions will be among eight teams eliminated when the new knockout playoff round ends this week.

Real Madrid or Manchester City, Bayern Munich or Celtic, AC Milan or Feyenoord and PSV Eindhoven or Juventus.

Their European seasons will be over in February before even reaching the round of 16 that teams like Real and Man City, who meet in their second-leg game Wednesday, have come to expect.

Indeed, City coach Pep Guardiola has never failedin 16 seasons of coaching four at Barcelona, three at Bayern and nine in Manchester to take his team to the round of 16 in the Champions League.

Advancing to the last-16 is worth 11 million euros ($11.5 million) in prize money from UEFA. While that pays just a few months of salary for Kylian Mbappe or Erling Haaland, it is a path toward a bigger share of the 2.5 billion euros ($2.6 billion) total prize fund shared by 36 teams that started in the league phase in September.

It took 152 games so far in the new expanded format already 21% more than the entire 125-game competition in each of the past 21 seasons just toreach this stage.

The business end of the Champions League arguably only starts now, with 37 games left through the May 31 final in Munich.

Real-City at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium is a classic match in the modern Champions League: A 3-3 draw in the quarterfinals last year and a thrilling 3-1 win for Real in extra-time to decide their semi-final in 2022. Each time coach Carlo Ancelotti`s team went on to win the title, extending the record to 15 in the competition`s 70-year history.

Their first meeting in madrid, a group-stage game in September 2012, was a late comeback by Real with two goals after the 85th minute to win 3-2just as it was in Manchester last Tuesday in the first leg.

That 2012-13 season was the last time City did not play in the round of 16.

The English champion`s streak of 11 straight years, including finally lifting the trophy in 2023, is at seriousriskonWednesday.

`The margin to win at the Bernabeu from that position, everybody knows, the percentage to go through, we arrive at one per cent. Or I don`t know what, but it will be minimal,` said Guardiola.

`But as much as you have a chance we will try, that`s for sure. We are going like we always have done but, this season, the reality is we have been miles away.`We have been really, really poor in performances and results this season.

Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund start home games with leads from the first leg as they seek to join Bayer Leverkusenintheround of16.

Bayern host Celtic on Tuesday with a 2-1 lead and Dortmund start 3-0 up on Sporting Lisbon in the early game on Wednesday.

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has urged his underdog side not to die wondering in their must-win second-leg.

`Whatever happens on Tuesday, the guys can be really proud of what they`ve achieved and can look to build on that,` said Rodgers.`We always want to keep our boldness, but our humility is important as well. We understand the size of the task, but we want to go and give the best we possibly can.

`We`re in a really good place, I think it`s an exciting challenge for us in Munich and a big opportunity for us.

Paris St Germain also have a 3-0 advantage at home, against Brest on Wednesday. It will be the clubs` third meeting in 19 days. Benfica also won on the road, 1-0 at Monaco, andhoststhereturnlegon Tuesday.

Juve take a 2-1 lead to Eindhoven on Wednesday and Club Brugge are 2-1 up going to Atalanta on Tuesday in Bergamo. About 30miles away, in Tuesday`s early game, AC Milan host Feyenoord trying to overturn a 1-0 deficit.

`They have to go intothis with a final mentality, focused, aggressive and concrete,` Milan`s senior advisorZlatanIbrahimovic said.-Agencies