Guardiola banks on past duels for UCL test against Madrid
Pep Guardiola said Manchester City have learnt valuable lessons from their long-running Champions League rivalry with Real Madrid after they were pitted against the Spanish club in the last 16
Pep Guardiola said Manchester City have learnt valuable lessons from their long-running Champions League rivalry with Real Madrid after they were pitted against the Spanish club in the last 16 draw. Guardiola’s side will face Real over two legs in March in their latest showdown with the 15-time European champions.
City and Real have met in 15 previous matches in the Champions League, including a 2-1 win for the Premier League club in the group stage in Madrid in December.
Real have knocked City out of the Champions League for the past two seasons, winning 6-3 on aggregate in the play-off round last term and triumphing in a quarter-final penalty shoot-out in 2023-24. They also met in the 2022 and 2023 semi-finals, with Real winning the first clash and City going through three years ago.
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Guardiola believes the challenge of facing the most successful club in Champions League history has sharpened his squad’s desire to succeed at the highest level.
“For our club when you play against the best teams in the whole history of this competition, you learn and improve and are better for the future,” Guardiola said.
Guardiola led City to their first Champions League crown in 2023 as part of the club’s iconic treble-winning campaign.
