Guardiola Comments on Facing Real Madrid in the Champions League
Pep Guardiola, the Spanish manager of English club Manchester City, has labeled the frequent encounters between his team and Spanish giants Real Madrid as akin to a “derby”. This statement comes after the teams were drawn against each other once again in the UEFA Champions League knockout stage.
Manchester City, under Guardiola’s leadership, will face Real Madrid, who hold a record 15 Champions League titles, in the Round of 16. This matchup follows City’s qualification after defeating Club Brugge 3-1 in their last group stage match. Meanwhile, Scottish team Celtic will play against German side Bayern Munich, another team City could have faced had the draw been different.
This will be the fifth time in the last six seasons that Manchester City and Real Madrid have met in the Champions League. Last year, Real Madrid ended City’s hopes of retaining their title by defeating them in a penalty shootout at the Etihad Stadium during the quarter-finals.
Reflecting on their previous encounters, in May two seasons ago, Manchester City had a remarkable 4-0
victory over Real Madrid, advancing to the final with a 5-1 aggregate score across both legs. They then
went on to win the title for the first time in their history, beating Inter Milan 1-0 in the final held in
Istanbul, completing a historic treble.
After the draw, Guardiola commented, “Well, it’s become like a derby, we’ll face Real Madrid for the
fourth consecutive year.”
He added,
“Well, both Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are strong teams; we hope to be at our best.”
Guardiola concluded, “The first leg will be at our home, then we’ll go to Madrid a week later in the best
possible form.”