Real Madrid continues to be a major thorn in the side of Manchester City and Pep Guardiola, eliminating the English champions from the Champions League for the third consecutive season.
Under Pep Guardiola, Manchester City has become a domestic powerhouse, and a consistent contender in European competition for nearly a decade.
Despite their dominance, particularly between 2018 and 2024, City’s international trophy cabinet features just one Champions League title – secured in the 2022/23 season.
Three Straight Eliminations by Real
Much of that frustration can be attributed to Real Madrid. Over the last five seasons, the paths of Manchester City and the Spanish giants have crossed in every knockout phase of the Champions League.
City entered none of those matchups as the underdog; in fact, experts and bookmakers often gave the Citizens over a 50 percent chance of winning. However, the results tell a different story: of those five knockout ties, Guardiola’s team has won only one.
| Season | Round | First Leg | Second Leg |
| 2021/22 | Semifinal | ManCity – Real 4:3 | Real – ManCity 3:1 n.V. |
| 2022/23 | Semifinal | Real – ManCity 1:1 | ManCity – Real 4:0 |
| 2023/24 | Quarterfinal | Real – ManCity 3:3 | ManCity – Real 1:1, 3:4 n.P. |
| 2024/25 | Playoffs | ManCity – Real 2:3 | Real – ManCity 3:1 |
| 2025/26 | Round of 16 | Real – ManCity 3:0 | ManCity – Real 1:2 |
Three consecutive exits against their rivals are undoubtedly weighing on the proud Catalan manager.
However, Guardiola downplayed the significance of the matchups with Real Madrid, stating after Tuesday’s defeat, “You (journalists) always think that Real is my biggest challenge. But you have no idea how it was to face Liverpool under Jürgen Klopp.”
More Than Just Man City
Guardiola’s struggles against Real Madrid aren’t limited to his time with Manchester City. In the 2013/14 season, Guardiola’s Bayern Munich side was thoroughly defeated by the Spanish giants in the semi-finals, losing 5-0 on aggregate.
In total, Guardiola has faced Real Madrid eight times in the knockout stages of the Champions League – six times with Manchester City, and once each with Bayern Munich and Barcelona. Following Tuesday’s loss, Guardiola’s record stands at three wins and five defeats against Los Blancos.
Results
