“Kings of the competition” – Pep Guardiola reacts to Manchester City’s Champions League quarter-final draw

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has offered his first reaction to the club’s UEFA Champions League quarter-final draw this week, speaking to the press on Friday.

The reigning European champions have secured 3-1 wins from matchday one of the group stage through to the quarter-finals, recording a 6-2 aggregate victory over FC Copenhagen in the first round of knock-out matches.

A 1-3 win at Parken in the Danish capital courtesy of goals from Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, and Phil Foden was followed up by an identical scoreline at the Etihad Stadium earlier this month, thanks to strikes from Manuel Akanji, Julian Alvarez, and Erling Haaland.

Manchester City’s success across competitions this season remains, as the club looks to maintain their pursuit of an unprecedented back-to-back Treble, with Pep Guardiola and his players chasing the Premier League and FA Cup in domestic football.

Friday morning’s UEFA Champions League quarter-final draw confirmed City’s fate in the next round of the competition, as procedure revealed that Real Madrid would be their next opponents in the tournament.

Speaking to the media on Friday afternoon, Guardiola offered his initial thoughts on Manchester City’s fate in the last-eight of Europe’s premier club competitions, following the completed draw earlier in the morning.

“We don’t have another option. It looks like a little bit of a tradition, three years in a row playing the kings of the competition,” said Guardiola.

“Hopefully we arrive in a good moment. The draw you cannot control, if people say it’s easy because you undermine the opponents. Second leg at home, it is what it is.”

Champions League Quarter-Final Draw

Arsenal vs FC Bayern Munich

Atletico Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund

Real Madrid vs Manchester City

Paris Saint-Germain vs Barcelona

Champions League Semi-Final Draw

Arsenal or FC Bayern Munich vs Real Madrid or Manchester City

Atletico Madrid or Borussia Dortmund vs Paris Saint-Germain or Barcelona

Manchester City take on Newcastle United in their next contest as Eddie Howe’s side travel to the Etihad Stadium for the quarter-final stage of the Emirates FA Cup, with a place in a Wembley semi-final up for grabs.