Pep Guardiola has labelled Real Madrid as the "kings" of the Champions League after his Manchester City side were drawn against Los Blancos in the quarter-finals on Friday.
The Citizens, who won their first-ever Champions League trophy last season, beat Copenhagen 6-2 on aggregate in the last 16 to secure a safe passage through to their seventh successive quarter-final.
Meanwhile, 14-time European champions Real Madrid edged past RB Leipzig by a 2-1 aggregate scoreline in their last-16 tie, drawing the second leg 1-1 on home soil last week, to reach the last eight for the fourth time in a row.
A third consecutive Champions League knockout meeting between Man City and Real Madrid is now on the horizon, with Los Blancos to host the first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu on April 9/10 before travelling to the Etihad Stadium for the return fixture on April 16/17.
Both teams met at the semi-final stage in the previous two campaigns with Carlo Ancelotti's side claiming a dramatic 6-5 aggregate win in 2022 before City gained revenge a year later with a stunning 5-1 aggregate triumph – including a memorable 4-0 second-leg victory at the Etihad – en route to Champions League glory last season.
Man City have won four of their 10 meetings with Real Madrid in European competition, and Guardiola is expecting another difficult two-legged contest against the Spanish giants next month.
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"It's a bit like a tradition, three years in a row playing the kings of the competition who have won 14 Champions Leagues," Guardiola told reporters on Friday.
"It is what it is, hopefully we can have a good moment. [There are] still a few weeks before the first game in Madrid. We'll see.
"The draw you cannot control. Normally when the people say the draw is easy, you undermine the other opponents.
"It's not necessary to say what Real Madrid is in this competition, the second leg is at home but two seasons ago it was away, so it is what it is. We have to do two good games there and here to go through."
Asked whether another meeting with Real Madrid carries extra significance for him considering his connections with Barcelona as a former player and manager, Guardiola said: "I would say for [Man City] it's a little bit new, for Real Madrid it's not special to play the quarter-final of the UEFA Champions League.
"For us in the last years we have been quite consistent, many times in the final, semi-final, final, now the quarter-final again.
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"We start to be in this routine of being in the latter stages and when you play in the last stages you play the best in Europe.
"Real Madrid also is there. Sometimes the draw decides, sometimes we are through, sometimes we are out. I don't pay much attention to any one opponent. All the opponents are really, really tough.
"We are excited because it's a privilege every time we're here, in the last 16 or quarter-final always it is. It is a special competition.
"I've said many times, I don't know which one is the most difficult of the lot because the Premier League, La Liga or Bundesliga, Serie A... always it's difficult with a lot of games.
"But this one [the Champions League] is special, going to Europe and with the team, with the club and the organisation, we go everywhere to try to play our best football. It's so nice."
Man City director of football Txiki Begiristain attended Friday's Champions League draw in Switzerland, and believes that the club is confident of celebrating success once again in this competition.
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"Now it's Real Madrid but we have to remember we beat them last season in the semi-finals so we will try to remember that," Begiristain told reporters. "We need to remember that we beat them last season in the semi-final and we played at home in the second leg.
"We did a top, top job in the second leg but we need to remember how strong they are and that they are top of their league and that they enjoy this competition.
"It's the history of Real Madrid. Every time they face up in this competition, they think they are going to win. The only thing is that we are confident. We are doing well, we have been in the last years fighting for this competition and at the end we won it.
"Also, the competition that we are doing this year has also been very good. We have been winning all games so we hope that we can keep this rhythm. Mentally we are strong.
"We are going to watch two top, top games, because they have some of the best players in the world. [But] any club will be very difficult as to get into the last eight is amazing."
Man City have four fixtures to prepare for before they travel to Real Madrid next month, with Saturday's FA Cup quarter-final against Newcastle followed by three Premier League fixtures after the international break against Arsenal, Aston Villa and Crystal Palace.
Oliver Thomas
