Guardiola’s position on facing Real Madrid…and 4 fasting stars

The Spanish coach of Manchester City, Pep Guardiola, believed that his English team learned important lessons from its long rivalry with Spanish Real Madrid in the European Champions League, after they were drawn face-to-face in the final 16 draw.
The two teams will face off in two-legged matches in March, in a new chapter in the 10-time English champion’s clashes with the 15-time European champion.
The two teams met in 15 previous matches in the Champions League, including City’s 2-1 victory in the unified group stage in Madrid last December.
Real Madrid eliminated its counterpart City from the tournament in the last two seasons, with a 6-3 victory on aggregate in the qualifying round to the eighth final last season, and that was preceded by its victory on penalties in the quarter-finals of the 2023-2024 season.
They also met in the semi-finals in 2022, and Real qualified, and in 2023, City repaid the debt.
Guardiola believes that facing the most decorated club in the history of the tournament has strengthened his players’ desire to succeed at the highest level. “For our club, when you play against the best teams in the history of this competition, you learn, improve, and become better in the future.”
Guardiola led City to its first Champions League title in 2023 as part of the historic treble.
Currently, the Spanish coach is focusing on keeping his team in the race to win the English Premier League title for the seventh time in his reign.
City will visit Leeds on Saturday, trailing leaders Arsenal by five points, but the fate of the title is still in its hands, as it has a postponed match, and it will host the Gunners in April.
If City wins its last 11 matches, it will secure the title regardless of what Arsenal does in its remaining 10 matches.
Although Guardiola has fought many successful title races in the league, his compatriot, Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta, is still waiting for his first coronation, as he only achieved the 2020 FA Cup title during his leadership of the London club, and led it to runner-up in the league three times in a row.
The team wasted significant progress against City in 2023 and 2024, and its level was shaken again this season, which brought criticism about its ability to withstand pressure.
When asked if he remembers how he felt when he was chasing his first title, Guardiola replied: “I don’t remember. I’m not here to give advice to Mikel.”
He added that his Muslim players, Uzbekistan Abdelkader Khosanov, Algerian Rayan Ait-Nouri, Frenchman Rayan Chergui, and Egyptian Omar Marmoush, will be available to play against Leeds during the fasting month of Ramadan.
“They follow this religious obligation, and we have good nutritionists who adapt things to the team’s needs,” he said.
He added, “I think they are used to it. They are not young and are used to playing during this period. It is not the first time, and we know how to deal with it.”
He continued, “They are in contact with the doctors and will adapt, but they know what to do.”