Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says repeated battles with Spanish heavyweights Real Madrid have strengthened his side’s resolve in Europe, after the two clubs were drawn together once more in the Champions League last 16.
City will meet the 15-time European champions across two legs in March, renewing a rivalry that has become one of the defining match-ups of the modern competition.
Friday’s draw ensured another chapter in a contest that has delivered drama, controversy and high-quality football in equal measure.
The fixture carries added significance given the recent history between the sides. They have crossed paths 15 times in the Champions League era, a sequence that has featured everything from late comebacks to penalty shoot-outs.
Most recently, City secured a 2-1 victory in Madrid during December’s group-stage encounter — a result that underlined their ability to compete at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Yet it is Real who have so often had the final word. The Spanish giants eliminated City in each of the past two seasons. Last term, they triumphed 6-3 on aggregate in a gripping play-off round, while in the 2023-24 campaign they edged through a quarter-final tie on penalties. The margins have been fine, but decisive.
The rivalry also stretches back to the semi-finals of 2022 and 2023. Real prevailed in the earlier meeting, producing one of their trademark European turnarounds, before City responded emphatically the following year to book their place in the final.
Those encounters have helped forge a competitive edge between the clubs, with both regularly considered among the favourites for continental honours.
For Guardiola, these recurring showdowns have served as a proving ground for his squad. Far from being daunted by Real’s pedigree, the City manager believes the experience has accelerated his team’s development on the biggest stage.
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“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 after the draw
Guardiola is no stranger to elite European competition. Since arriving in Manchester, he has overseen a period of sustained domestic dominance while repeatedly pushing deep into the latter stages of the Champions League.
The scars of previous eliminations, Guardiola suggests, have hardened his squad. Facing opponents with such an aura demands composure, discipline and belief. Over time, those qualities have been refined.
While European ambitions loom large, Guardiola’s immediate priority lies closer to home. City travel to Leeds United on Saturday as they continue their pursuit of a seventh Premier League title under his leadership.
They begin the weekend five points adrift of leaders Arsenal. Although the gap is significant, it is far from insurmountable, particularly given City’s track record in the latter stages of the season.
