The big European tiebreaker between Guardiola and Real Madrid

He Real Madrid and guardiola they cross again. After losing in the quarter-finals Chelsea i.e. Bayern Munich, the merengue team and the coach will face each other for the fifth time in a European game that will serve as a tiebreaker, since there are two wins for each to date. Even with the memory of last season’s clash, Madrid and City The other semi-finals, which smell like early finals, will be played on May 9 and 17. with permission Between or Milan, which are measured by the less hard side of the penalty area, the one that prevails in the tactical double play in between ancelotti and Guardiola will be a big favorite for the battle for La Orejona in Istanbul.

The first major continental duel between Pep and the Whites took place in a context characterized by a climate of tension due to the carousel of four classics in 18 days. Barcelona and Real Madrid met in the semi-finals of the Champions League in the 2010-2011 season. The first game, remembered for Pepe’s dismissal and Messi’s goal against Maradona, ended with a 2-0 victory for the Catalans in Chamartin. A 1-1 draw at the Camp Nou confirmed the advantage for the Blaugrana, who would eventually beat Manchester United 3-1 in the final at Wembley to win their second Champions League in three years and establish themselves as one of the world’s best teams of all time.

In his first experience away from Can Barça, the Catalan coach landed on Bavarian soil after completing a treble under orders Jupp Heynckes. In Guardiola’s first season at Bayern, he once again faced the white ogres ahead of the final. This time with Carlo Ancelotti on the Real Madrid bench. 1-0 at the Santiago Bernabéu left everything open for the match at the Allianz Arena. But Sergio Ramos’ display from the air and the offensive force of BBC punished the Germans with a reparation (0-4) that went down in the annals of Champions League history. In that edition, Real Madrid reached the long-awaited tenth European Champions Cup by defeating Atlético in Lisbon after extra time 4-1, after that miraculous equalizer by Sergio Ramos in 90+3.

Their paths crossed again six years later, this time in the quarterfinals. It was in Guardiola’s fourth season at Manchester City. Guardiola revolutionized the match with the introduction of Sterling in the second half, the British knew how to react to Isco’s first goal to win with goals from Gabriel Jesus and De Bruyne in the white hall. The outbreak of the global pandemic has caused the second leg on 7 August 2020 to be played at an empty Etihad due to restrictions. Benzema made him dream of a possible comeback that summer night, burdened by Varane’s defensive errors. The heavenly blues they won at their stadium, and Guardiola won his first match against Madrid as a coach citizen.

Guardiola’s last clash against the king of Europe took place in the last edition. Carlo Ancelotti’s team performed a survival exercise in England in the face of City’s bullying. Despite going 2-0 down in just 11 minutes, Benzema and Vinicius revived Real Madrid with a 4-3 final. The rest is history. Real Madrid showed at the Bernabéu why the European Cup is their fetish competition. Rodrygo, with two goals at 90 and 90+1, sent the tie into extra time, in which Madrid lost from the second minute of the first game. Benzema made it through to the final from the penalty spot at 90+5 in a magical evening on the Old Continent and at the Santiago Bernabéu fortress.

Guardiola will now play in his tenth Champions League semi-final in 14 seasons. He reinvents himself once again, finds new tactical designs and an argument like a Norwegian battering ram Erling Haaland to be a contender for the coveted title at the Etihad. As the Catalan coach admits, “if you want to win the Champions League, you have to beat Madrid.” Against Pep, Ancelotti’s ninth semi-final and Real Madrid’s thirty-second. Another world.