Man City and Real Madrid will both be seeking a first-leg advantage when they lock horns in Tuesday's knockout round playoff clash at the Etihad Stadium.
The two teams are set to face off for the first time since Real Madrid controversially boycotted the 2024 Ballon d'Or ceremony in October.
Los Blancos decided not to attend the awards night in Paris after they learned beforehand that Vinicius Junior would be pipped to the top prize by Rodri.
The 2024 Ballon d'Or winner will not be involved in Tuesday's first leg, as he continues to recover from an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
Guardiola plays down Real Madrid's Ballon d'Or snub
However, Rodri's absence did not stop the respective managers from being questioned about the Ballon d'Or drama ahead of the heavyweight meeting between Man City and Real Madrid.
Guardiola was defiant in his answer when asked at his pre-match press conference whether there was any ill-feeling towards Real Madrid following their Ballon d'Or snub.
"Absolutely not," Guardiola told reporters on Monday. "I was happy for Rodri but Vinicius made an extraordinary year as well.
"He could deserve it, like in the past when Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were fighting for it. So, the subject is over."
Ancelotti defends Real Madrid's boycott
Real Madrid's decision to miss the Ballon d'Or awards denied Ancelotti the chance to collect his prize in person after being named the 2024 Men's Coach of the Year.
However, Ancelotti still insists it was the right decision to skip the ceremony, expressing his belief that Rodri should have won in 2023 rather than in 2024.
"I don't think it was the wrong decision," Ancelotti told reporters ahead of Tuesday's first leg. "We thought Vini was the winner of the Ballon d'Or.
"It doesn't mean we don't respect Rodri because he is a fantastic player. I think Rodri deserved to win it the year before."
While Rodri will not feature against Real Madrid, Vinicius is expected to be in Ancelotti's starting lineup for the first leg alongside fellow star players like Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe.
After going toe-to-toe at the Etihad Stadium, the two sides will meet again in next Wednesday's second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Written by
Ben Sully
Udinese 
Monza 
Newcastle 
Chelsea 
Rangers 
Aberdeen 
Leganes 
Espanyol 
Feyenoord 
PSV 
Manchester Utd 
West Ham 
Nottingham Forest 
Leicester 
Tottenham 
Crystal Palace 
Bayer Leverkusen 
Borussia Dortmund 
Fakel Voronezh 
Lokomotiv Moscow 
Barcelona 
Real Madrid 
Ajax 
NEC Nijmegen 
AZ Alkmaar 
Groningen 
Liverpool 
Arsenal 
Eintracht Frankfurt 
FC ST. Pauli 
Torino 
Inter 
Dinamo Moscow 
Spartak Moscow 
Napoli 
Genoa 
Boavista 
FC Porto 
Venezia 
Fiorentina 
Atalanta 
Roma 
Juve Stabia 
Sampdoria 
Sevilla 
Las Palmas 
Shakhtar Donetsk 
Dynamo Kyiv 
CSKA Moscow 
Zenit Saint Petersburg 
Alaves 
Valencia 
Waalwijk 
Heracles 
Twente