Guardiola Slams 'Bizarre' Champions League Draw as Arsenal Looms Large
Pep Guardiola, Manchester City's head coach, has urged UEFA to modify Champions League knockout phase regulations to avoid recurring matchups after his team was paired with Real Madrid once more in the last 16.
The Citizens and Los Blancos have clashed 11 times since early 2020 and will extend that count to 13 following Friday's round of 16 draw that reunited the clubs. Several consistent Premier League sides have only played 12 matches against City since the decade commenced.
The most recent encounter between City and Madrid occurred just weeks prior when Guardiola's squad secured a 2–1 victory during the league phase in December. The manager desires rule changes to prevent teams that competed in the tournament's initial stage from meeting early in the knockout rounds.
"Yes, it is a little bit weird [to face Madrid again]," he said.
"Not many times does it happen that the last game of the group stage—Real Madrid vs. Benfica—is the first draw. It looks different. People will agree or disagree, but it is different."
Guardiola: Arsenal's Side of the Draw No Easier
Guardiola: Arsenal's Side of the Draw No Easier
The Citizens confront an extremely challenging route to the Champions League final, requiring progression through a bracket section that features Madrid alongside Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Galatasaray and Atalanta.
Arsenal escaped placement in that treacherous half. Matched with Bayer Leverkusen in the upcoming round, Mikel Arteta's squad would face either Bodø/Glimt or Sporting CP in the quarterfinals, with Barcelona, Newcastle United, Atlético Madrid or Tottenham Hotspur awaiting in the semifinals.
Despite City's route appearing more challenging theoretically, Guardiola maintained that Arsenal faces equal difficulty compared to anyone in his bracket half.
"[It] would be so disrespectful [to], for example, Newcastle, Barcelona, top teams, Atlético Madrid or Spurs," he said. "So I'm not a fan of that [saying it's the easier half of the draw].
"Now, for everybody Bodø/Glimt is top, right? Bodø/Glimt now is, 'Oh my God, what a team!' So, Champions League is so difficult.
"I'm not saying Madrid is not difficult, everybody knows it, but the rest of the teams that you play, I don't know, you can name 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."