Pep Guardiola hits out at “disrespectful” claims over Manchester City’s Champions League draw | OneFootball

Manchester City have not necessarily landed on the more difficult side of the Champions League’s knockout stage tournament bracket, says Pep Guardiola.

The newly formatted competition has mapped out the entire route to the final in Budapest in its latest draw procedure, with every potential tie predetermined following the Round of 16 draw in Nyon.

That structure has prompted widespread debate over which half of the bracket presents the tougher challenge, particularly with several European heavyweights positioned along Manchester City’s projected path.

Pep Guardiola’s side are again set for a blockbuster encounter with Real Madrid, renewing a rivalry that has become synonymous with the latter stages of the competition, and should City progress, a possible quarter-final against Vincent Kompany’s Bayern Munich could follow.

However, Manchester City’s head coach has firmly rejected the idea that one side of the draw can be labelled as significantly more challenging than the other.

Speaking in a recent press conference, Pep Guardiola was quizzed on Manchester City’s placing in the tournament bracket for the Champions League’s knockout stage, amid a belief that they have landed on the more difficult side of teams aiming to reach the Budapest Final.

“It would be so disrespectful [to say Manchester City are on the more difficult side of the draw]. For example, Newcastle against Barcelona are top teams, PSG and Atletico Madrid and Spurs,” insisted Guardiola.

He continued, “I saw Atalanta against [Borussia] Dortmund because they played at 6:45 and the rhythm they played, quite similar to [Gian Piero] Gasperini before. So I’m not a fan of that [judging the bracket].

“Now everybody [says] Bodo/Glimt is top, right? Bodo/Glimt now is, ‘Oh my god, what a team!’ Before we played, you already saw, and all the fans, 20 games of Bolo/Glimt before to analyse that team. Champions League is so difficult, any team.

“Give me ANY team. All of them, they have the trick. If you want to go through in this competition, right now, you have to win against the best teams. Otherwise you don’t deserve it.”

The expanded format has intensified scrutiny, with fans and pundits dissecting every potential pathway to the Puskás Aréna. Yet for Pep Guardiola, the equation remains simple in aiming to lift the trophy, a team must overcome Europe’s strongest sides regardless of their placement.

Manchester City’s immediate focus remains on preparing for another high-stakes clash with Madrid. Beyond that, Guardiola’s message is clear in that there are no easy routes in the Champions League, and suggesting otherwise diminishes the quality in the competition.