In the Champions League quarterfinal draw on Friday, reigning champions Manchester City were pitted against Real Madrid, the competition’s most decorated club, setting up a highly anticipated clash.
Download our app for the latest Real Madrid news
Kylian Mbappé’s Paris Saint-Germain is slated to face Barcelona, in what many believe will be Mbappé’s last season with PSG before a likely move to Real Madrid.
The history between Madrid and City in the Champions League is fresh, with the teams having faced off in the semifinals for the last two seasons.
Real Madrid will host the opening leg on April 9 or 10, with the second leg scheduled to take place the following week in Manchester.
Reflecting on last year’s encounter, where Pep Guardiola’s City triumphed with a 4-0 victory at the Etihad, and Madrid’s dramatic comeback the previous season, Emilio Butragueño, Madrid’s director, commented: “They are the champions, we know each other perfectly, I don’t have to explain all the virtues that City has.
“There are going to be two magnificent games for the public. There are top-level players and two tremendous games await us. We are excited that the team will be up to the task, we have to get a good result at the Bernabeu to defend it there.
“All the teams that have arrived to this point are strong. In the end it’s two games. The games have been levelled and any details can decide the tie. The eight teams remaining can be champions, let’s see what happens. All the ties are attractive. We’ve got City. We have to accept it. They have a very powerful team and we also have a very good team too.”
Guardiola, in his Friday news conference, remarked on the familiarity of facing Madrid, stating: “It’s a little bit of tradition, three years in a row we’re playing the king of the competition because they have won 14 Champions Leagues, but it is what it is.
The quarterfinals first legs are set for April 9 and 10, with the return fixtures on April 16 and 17.
The climax of this year’s Champions League will unfold at Wembley in London on June 1, marking the eighth occasion the iconic venue has hosted UEFA’s premier club final.
He’s incredible – Barca legend hails Ancelotti
