The 2021-22 Champions League bracket set up a mouth-watering clash in the semifinals. Pep Guardiola‘s Manchester Citywould once again meetReal Madridin the continental stage, this time with a ticket to the grand final on the line.
The first leg of the semifinal series didn’t let anyone down, as both teams put on a show to delight the audience with a seven-goal thriller. City won a hard-fought 4-3 game to keep their European aspirations alive while they stay atopthe Premier League standings.
Manchester City have been seekingEuropean glory sinceSheikh Mansour’s takeover in 2008, but not even Pep Guardiola has been able to lead them to the promised land. He hopes to change that this season, but he’ll have to take down a familiar foe first .
How has Pep Guardiola fared against Real Madrid?
Given his past as a Barcelona player and coach, Pep has obviously faced Los Blancos on various occasions. Here, we’ll break down his games against Real Madrid by his playing and coaching career.
Pep Guardiola’s numbers vs. Real Madrid as a player
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Guardiola has had his fair share of wins against Real Madrid during his playing days, but his record doesn’t suggest he’s been dominant. Most of his games against El Merengue were in a blaugrana uniform except for one.
Guardiola faced Real Madrid on 21 occasions as a player, 20 of those games were Clasico derbies playing for Barcelona. He won eight, draw on seven games and lost seven times against La Casa Blanca. The only game he’s ever played against Real Madrid not in a Barca jersey was at Roma in a forgettable 3-0 loss for the Italians.
Pep Guardiola’s numbers vs. Real Madrid as a coach
Things have been quite better for Pep as a manager, as he upset Los Blancos on many occasions. Guardiola faced Real Madrid with all three teams he’s worked for as a head coach and his stats are incredible: 12wins, four draws, and four defeats.Here, we’ll break down those 20games by club.
Pep Guardiola: Stats vs. Real Madrid at Barcelona
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Pep Guardiola made Real Madrid one of his favorite victims during Barcelona’s golden days. The Spanish boss wonnine Clasicos, while he drew on four and lost only twice. In times when Barca were on top of the world, Pep Guardiola became a nightmare for Los Blancos as he’s also been on the dugout during memorable wins such as the 2-6 road victory and the 5-0 home triumph.
Pep Guardiola: Head-to-head vs. Real Madrid at Bayern
After getting the upper hand for many years at Barca, the outcome was different for Pep when his Bayern Munich faced Real Madrid in the 2013-14 Champions League semifinals. Los Merengues advanced to the grand final with a comfortable 5-0 lead on aggregate.
Pep Guardiola: Record vs. Real Madrid at Man City
It would take some time before they faced each other again, but Guardiola bounced back a few years later.His Manchester City beat Real Madrid on both legs of the 2019-20 Champions League round of 16 with a4-2 advantage on aggregate.Pep took Los Blancos down again in 2022, when his team won 4-3 in the first leg of the UCL semifinals.
