Manchester City are preparing to lock horns with Real Madrid in the semi-finals of the 2021-22 Champions League, with that two-legged tie set to see Blues boss Pep Guardiola reunited with a familiar foe.
The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager has locked horns with the Blancos on a regular basis in domestic and continental competition down the years.
Unsurprisingly, given the calibre of player at his disposal, he has tended to fare admirably in meetings with the Liga heavyweights, but how does his overall record read? We take a look…
What is Pep Guardiola’s record vs Real Madrid?
Having inherited the managerial reins at Barcelona in the summer of 2008, it was never going to take long for Guardiola’s path to cross with their Clasico rivals.
His first meeting with Real Madrid came on December 12, 2008 and proved to be a memorable event as the Blaugrana ran out 2-0 winners at Camp Nou.
Guardiola’s second clash with the Blancos was even more entertaining, with a stunning 6-2 victory savoured at Santiago Bernabeu in May 2009.
He took maximum points from his first five La Liga fixtures against the old adversaries from the Spanish capital and only suffered defeat against them on two occasions across 15 encounters as Barca boss.
The last of those, in April 2012, started a run of three successive setbacks against the Blancos – with Bayern Munich enduring costly reversals home and away in the semi-finals of the 2013-14 Champions League.
Guardiola had emerged victorious in a European last-four tie with Real once before, in 2010-11, and will be hoping to see City repeat those heroics in the present.
Pep Guardiola has been to more Champions League semi-finals than anyone else 👍 pic.twitter.com/4Bxm1Ed8L2
— GOAL (@goal) April 14, 2022
Since arriving in English football back in 2016, the Catalan has taken on the 13-time continental kings just once – with his Premier League title hopefuls claiming a 4-2 aggregate success at the last-16 stage in 2020.
Overall, Guardiola’s record makes for impressive reading, with 11 victories, four draws and four defeats taken from 19 meetings with Real.
| Date | Competition | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Dec 18, 2008 | La Liga | Barcelona 2-0 Real Madrid |
| May 2, 2009 | La Liga | Real Madrid 2-6 Barcelona |
| Nov 29, 2009 | La Liga | Barcelona 1-0 Real Madrid |
| Apr 10, 2010 | La Liga | Real Madrid 0-2 Barcelona |
| Nov 29, 2010 | La Liga | Barcelona 5-0 Real Madrid |
| Apr 16, 2011 | La Liga | Real Madrid 1-1 Barcelona |
| Apr 20, 2011 | Copa del Rey final | Barcelona 0-1 Real Madrid |
| Apr 27, 2011 | Champions League semi-final | Real Madrid 0-2 Barcelona |
| May 3, 2011 | Champions League semi-final | Barcelona 1-1 Real Madrid |
| Aug 14, 2011 | Super Cup final | Real Madrid 2-2 Barcelona |
| Aug 17, 2011 | Super Cup final | Barcelona 3-2 Real Madrid |
| Dec 10, 2011 | La Liga | Real Madrid 1-3 Barcelona |
| Jan 18, 2012 | Copa del Rey quarter-final | Real Madrid 1-2 Barcelona |
| Jan 25, 2012 | Copa del Rey quarter-final | Barcelona 2-2 Real Madrid |
| Apr 21, 2012 | La Liga | Barcelona 1-2 Real Madrid |
| Apr 23, 2014 | Champions League semi-final | Real Madrid 1-0 Bayern Munich |
| Apr 29, 2014 | Champions League semi-final | Bayern Munich 0-4 Real Madrid |
| Feb 26, 2020 | Champions League last-16 | Real Madrid 1-2 Man City |
| Aug 7, 2020 | Champions League last-16 | Man City 2-1 Real Madrid |
What has Pep Guardiola said on his record vs Real Madrid?
The 51-year-old has every reason to be proud of his efforts against Real, with an impressive record against fearsome opponents helping him to cement a standing as one of the finest tactical brains in the business.
Guardiola has, however, never been one to rest on his laurels or to read too much into events of the past.
For him, focus must forever be locked on the present and future as continuous improvement is chased down.
With that in mind, he has said of his previous duels with the Blancos: “I’ve lost and won against Real Madrid. You play hundreds of times against a rival and you win and lose, so none of that comes into it.
“With the talent they have, the only way you can beat them is try to have more talent.
“I have worked with some great teams that have faced them, but I don’t feel any special sense for having beaten them. That belongs to the players. It’s not something I can be especially pleased with.”
