Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is relishing another epic Champions League clash with Real Madrid after the Citizens were drawn against the Spanish giants in the quarter-finals of this season’s competition on Friday.
The draw means Man City will now be locking horns against Real Madrid, Champions League record 14-time winners for a third successive year.
The two clubs have met in the semi-finals for the past two years, with Real winning in 2022 but City avenging that loss – wrapped up with a 4-0 win at the Etihad Stadium – last term.
“It looks like a little bit of a tradition, three years in a row playing the kings of the competition,” said City manager Guardiola following Friday’s draw.
“Hopefully we can arrive in a good moment but there are still a few weeks before the first game in Madrid.
“When people say draws are easy, you undermine the other opponent but it’s not necessary to say what Real Madrid are in this competition. When you play in the latter stages you play against the best teams in Europe and Real Madrid are there.
“But all the opponents are really tough, everybody knows it. We were excited before the draw because it’s a privilege every time we are here. It is a special competition.”
In the other fixtures, Arsenal will play Bayern Munich, whose star striker Harry Kane will go back to north London after leaving the Gunners’ archrival Tottenham this offseason.
The Gunners narrowly edged out Porto to reach the quarter-final and must now see off a Bayern side looking to make a statement after a chaotic campaign which has seen their reputation take a major blow.
PSG manager, Luis Enrique, will face his former club Barcelona, whom he led to a Champions League triumph in 2015. They last met in 2020/21, when PSG’s famous 4-1 win at Camp Nou set the tone for a routine victory for the French side.
Atletico Madrid was paired with Borussia Dortmund in the other game. This is the first time the two sides will meet in the knockout stages of this tournament.
The first leg of the Champions League quarter-final ties will be held on April 9 and 10, with the return fixtures booked for the following week on April 16 and 17.
The semi-finals will begin on April 30 and May 1, and the second legs will be held on May 7 and 8.
The two sides that emerge victorious will contest the final at London’s Wembley Stadium on June 1.
Champions League Quarter-Finals Draw:
Arsenal vs Bayern Munich
Atletico Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund
Real Madrid vs Manchester City
PSG vs Barcelona
