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Manchester City administrator, Pep Guardiola, says that the tie of the team’s champions with Real Madrid ‘feels like a derby’ thanks to the amount of games that the sides have had with each other in recent seasons.
City knew that Real or Bayern Munich would play in the Play-Off and their destination was decided during the draw on Friday morning.
Real knocked out City in the quarter -final stage last season and the parties have played eight games from the 2020 ferbacario, with City progressing in 2020 and 2023, and Real eliminated them in 2022 and last year.
The elimination phase play-offs are established ✅#Uldraw pic.twitter.com/9kwmsgqwod
– UEFA Champions League (@Championsleague) January 31, 2025
“It already feels like a derby,” Guardiola said. “There are four consecutive years facing Real Madrid.
“But Bayern or Madrid, both were really hard. Hopefully we can arrive in the first leg here, and then in Madrid, the best possible. “
The unruly February calendar of the city now sees them play Real Twice, Newcastle, Liverpool and Arsenal this Sunday.
Guardiola said the Premier League parts get a difficult trip with games around the Games of the Champions League compared to other sides on the best European leagues.
‘The stations decide’
He said: “The schedule is what it is. In the Premier League, each team has to play everyone. But normally in the Premier League they always put the most difficult schedules for teams in Europe.
“The calendar is the most difficult because it is difficult to play against Real Madrid or Bayern Munich, but the problem is in the middle is Newcastle.
Pep 💬 (in Rodri) I always believe that with long injuries there is a time that you must respect … the first month that was in Madrid all the time. Now, it is lovely to have it here in the locker room. His voice is important … the most important thing for Rodri now is to recover well … from … pic.twitter.com/ilkhssmwks
– Manchester City (@mancity) January 31, 2025
“We are not complaining because we have incredible success playing that calendar.
“I remember when I was in Barcelona and I followed the Premier League and Alex Ferguson, José Mourinho and Orsene Wenger made the same complaints.
“Do you think it will change? The announcers decide that they do not ask me what is better to play. ”
Arsenal ended as finalists in City in each of the last two campaigns of the Premier League and Guardiola says that he has great respect for the work that his former assistant Mikel Arteta has done with the Gunners.
He said: “Our relationship is exceptional. With him and his family, exceptional.
“Of course we are not in contact now, he has his business and I have mine and other games, but the respect we have is always there.”
