Pep Guardiola smirked when asked about drawing Real Madrid again in the Champions League playoffs. “It looks like a derby already, four years in a row facing Real Madrid,” he said, acknowledging the familiarity that’s grown between the clubs. On paper, it’s one of Europe’s most daunting assignments. Yet for Guardiola and his Manchester City squad, the recurring showdown has almost become a tradition.
They’ll first meet at the Etihad on February 11, then finish at the Bernabéu on February 18. The two clubs have split their past encounters: each has eliminated the other twice under Guardiola’s watch at City. Both teams know there will be no secrets by the time the referee blows the first whistle. The only question is which side has absorbed the bigger lessons from their last few battles.
City’s jam-packed February
Guardiola didn’t just dwell on the challenge Madrid presents. His bigger worry is the grueling schedule that slots in seven matches over 24 days. “The schedule is what it is… The problem is in the middle playing Newcastle,” he admitted. City will also face Arsenal on the 2nd, Leyton Orient in the FA Cup on the 8th, Newcastle on the 15th, Liverpool on the 23rd, and Tottenham on the 26th. “We’ve had incredible success with this calendar. We accept it,” he added, insisting that fixture congestion is a byproduct of a successful team fighting on multiple fronts.
He’ll need every ounce of depth from his squad. There’s little room for rest, and Guardiola knows how quickly games can turn in February. Just one injury or an unexpected slip could derail the momentum they need in Europe. It’s a delicate balancing act, requiring top performances in every competition.
Still, the manager refused to sound overly aggrieved. He acknowledged that facing Real Madrid is always a formidable test, but it’s the intervening matches—and the potential wear and tear they cause—that loom largest. “The problem isn’t facing Real Madrid or Bayern,” he said. “It’s that in between, you have Newcastle.”
Real Madrid is a rival that demands total focus, yet the path to European glory also winds through England’s stadiums and their unrelenting fixture list. The coming weeks will reveal whether City has the stamina and resilience to prevail. If Guardiola holds out long enough, he may even have Rodri back to finish the job.
