Pep Guardiola hits out at “weird” Champions League draw ahead of Real Madrid showdown | OneFootball

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has described the repetition of UEFA Champions League fixtures in recent draw procedures as “weird”.

The latest last-16 draw has once again paired City with European heavyweights Real Madrid, continuing a remarkable run of knockout meetings between the two clubs, and adding another chapter in a rivalry that has defined the latter stages of the competition in recent years.

Under the revamped tournament format, the entire bracket through to the final in Budapest has also been mapped out in advance, meaning Manchester City would face either Atalanta or Bayern Munich in the quarter-final stage should they progress.

City, seeded eighth, will travel to the Bernabéu for the first leg before hosting the decisive return at the Etihad Stadium – a hugely challenging route that could yet include clashes with the Premier League’s Chelsea or Liverpool should they all progress.

But speaking during a recent press conference, Pep Guardiola was quizzed on the repetition of certain fixtures in the Champions League, with Manchester City once again pitted against La Liga giants Real Madrid.

“Yeah, it’s a little bit weird. Normally it doesn’t happen,” Guardiola responded.

The Catalan coach continued, “In the last game of the group stage, Benfica against Real Madrid, and in the first draw Real Madrid against Benfica – it looks different, I would say. People would agree or disagree, but it’s different.”

On the subject of teams being deliberately prevent from playing each other twice in the same tournament campaign until the Final, Guardiola said, “Why not? Always in the Premier League, how many times we played against Newcastle this season? Hopefully we can play in the finals against them.

“So, it’s happened. Today is different; the Champions League when I started it was eight teams, nine teams, ten teams. They wanted a lot [of teams], they wanted to increase a lot, the schedules, the calendars – it’s a question of adapting.

“Madrid draw? Madrid draw! What can we do?”

Pep Guardiola’s comments reflect a broader sense of inevitability surrounding Manchester City’s European path, with the clash with Real Madrid this season becoming the sixth meeting in seven seasons in the knockout stages.

For the Manchester City manager, however, the focus remains unchanged. And while the format may have evolved and the calendar expanded, the objective is constant in adapting quickly and competing at the highest level.

Before taking on Los Blancos in the first-leg, Manchester City will first welcome Nottingham Forest to the Etihad Stadium before travelling to the North-East to face Newcastle United in the FA Cup fifth round.