Pep Guardiola has made a statement ahead of leading Manchester City in a fiery away match against Real Madrid in the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League Round of 16 first leg.
On 11 March 2026, Pep Guardiola, the Spanish coach, spoke before leading the "Sky Blues," Manchester City, a top team from England's Premier League, to visit the "Los Blancos," Real Madrid, a giant of Spain's La Liga, in the UEFA Champions League 2025-26 Round of 16 first leg tonight at 03:00 AM Thailand time.
The visiting team, Manchester City, qualified automatically after finishing 8th in their group with 16 points from 8 matches, while the hosts, Real Madrid, finished 9th with 15 points from 8 matches and had to play a playoff, defeating Benfica with a 3-1 aggregate score over two legs.
Recently, Pep Guardiola said, "Honestly, Real Madrid remains Real Madrid. Each of their coaches has their own style. As I said before, Real Madrid is still Real Madrid, and I always respect them. We will meet on the pitch."