Manchester City defender Rúben Dias has joked that facing Real Madrid in the Champions League now feels almost routine, as the two clubs prepare to meet again in the round of 16.
The Portuguese centre-back spoke to DAZN about the upcoming tie, which will see Pep Guardiola’s side travel to the Santiago Bernabeu for the first leg on March 11.
Dias reacted to the fact that the two teams have now faced each other repeatedly in recent seasons. Real Madrid and Manchester City will meet for the 12th and 13th time in just six years.
“It already feels like a league game!” Dias said with a laugh. “But it is the Champions League. At the end of the day, when we are kids, we all dream of playing in the Champions League to play matches like this.”
He added that fixtures at this level are exactly what players aim for during their careers.
“You approach them with happiness. Because this is the level where you want to be. As a team and individually, to show your work and be very good, excellent, at the highest level”, he stressed. And it’s not the first time hespeaks about that mentality.
The two clubs already met earlier this season during the league phase of the Champions League. Manchester City won that match, with Nico O’Reilly and Erling Haaland scoring after Rodrygo had opened the scoring for Real Madrid.
Noise around Manchester City’s season
Dias also addressed the broader narrative around Manchester City’s campaign. Despite talk about fluctuations in form earlier in the season, the defender believes the team have remained consistent.
“There is a lot of talk and a lot of noise, but at the end of the day that noise counts for very little,” he explained.
“I think maybe in the first three games there was a phase of adaptation that we had to react to in a very positive way. From then on, the team has been strong and consistent.”
According to Dias, the idea that City experienced a bad period this season does not match what the squad feels internally.
“I hear a lot about some kind of shift at some point in the season, but I don’t remember any moment this season being bad in any sense”, he said.
“I think we have progressed consistently from the beginning. We still have a lot of potential to reach and I think we are exactly where we want to be.”
What this means for Manchester City
Manchester City remain in the race for several trophies this season. Guardiola’s side are still chasing the Premier League leaders Arsenal and will also face them in the EFL Cup final later this month.
Meanwhile, the Champions League tie with Real Madrid represents another high-stakes European test. Recent meetings between the clubs have often defined the latter stages of the competition.
Dias’ comments suggest the City squad are embracing that challenge rather than feeling fatigued by the familiarity of the fixture. For them, facing Real Madrid regularly is simply the reality of competing at the very top of European football.