Real Madrid legend Emilio Butragueño has insisted that they’re really excited about facing Manchester City in the Champions League once again.
Marca cover comments from the Real Madrid icon today. It seems he’s not quite bored of facing Manchester City just yet.
The draw has paired the two sides against each other in the Champions League last 16. Manchester City head to the Santiago Bernabéu for the first leg before hosting the Spanish giants a week later at the Etihad.
It marks the fourth consecutive season they’ll face each other. It’s also the seventh time in seven years the two giants have met in the knockout stages of the competition.
Real Madrid vs Manchester City again
There’s no staleness as far as Butragueño is concerned, though. He, instead, insists the usual excitement remains ahead of the clash.
“We’re really excited about it,” he said.
“This competition means a lot to us, and we have complete faith in our players’ ability and that they’ll rise to the challenge.”
The rivalry is an extremely balanced one at this point. Over their 15 meetings to date in the Champions League, both sides have recorded five wins each and five draws.
Last season saw Real Madrid eliminate Manchester City in the knockout phase with a 6-3 victory. The year before saw the Spanish side progress on penalties after a 4-4 draw in the quarterfinals.
Equal record
Manchester City did, however, beat Real Madrid 4-0 at the Etihad in 2023, following a 1-1 draw in the first leg. That victory came in the semi-finals and Pep Guardiola’s side went on to secure their first title. Butragueño is expecting another top game.
“We know each other very well,” he added.
“They have a great team, not just a great team. They have a great squad, and that gives Guardiola many options.”
“Whenever we play them, it’s always an attacking game, with two teams that want to dominate, usually resulting in a lot of goals. (It’s) one of the best matches you can see in the world.”