Pep Guardiola looking to break Champions League record against Real Madrid

Pep Guardiola will be looking to break a Champions League record when his Manchester City side lock horns with Real Madrid in the semi-finals.

The 51-year-old will be facing Los Blancos for the 20th time in his managerial career in the first leg on Tuesday, with the majority of his encounters having taken place during his reign as Barcelona boss.

In the Champions League, Guardiola has eliminated Real Madrid twice in the knockout rounds, his first with Barca when they won 3-1 on aggregate in the 2010-11 semi-finals, before winning 4-2 on aggregate in the last 16 with Man City in 2019-20.

Should the Citizens edge past Real Madrid over two legs this season, Guardiola would become the first manager in Champions League history to eliminate the 13-time champions on three occasions in the competition.

While Guardiola has had plenty of success against Los Blancos over the years, the Spaniard will be seeking revenge in the Champions League against Carlo Ancelotti this term; Guardiola’s only previous encounter with Ancelotti in Europe’s most prestigious club competition was in 2013-14 when his Bayern Munich side were thrashed 5-0 on aggregate by Real Madrid in the semi-finals.

Victory in the first leg for Guardiola would be his 12th as a manager against the La Liga giants; only against Arsenal (17) and Burnley (14) has the Catalan boss won more games against the same opponent.