"They knocked us out last year and we’ll be out for revenge" - Real Madrid star on facing Manchester City in the UCL quarter-finals
Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni recently opened up about facing Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals.
Los Blancos have been drawn against the Cityzens three seasons in a row now. They beat City 6-5 on aggregate in the semi-finals in the 2021-22 season en route to their record-extending 14th Champions League trophy.
Pep Guardiola's side then beat the Spanish giants 5-1 on aggregate in the semi-finals last season on their way to the historic treble. They drew 1-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu in the first leg before hammering them 4-0 at the Etihad.
In a recent interview, Tchouameni spoke about facing Manchester City again this season and said (via Madrid Universal):
“We are Real Madrid, we can’t be afraid. They knocked us out last year and we’ll be out for revenge, we’ll want to show who Real Madrid is. To be the best, you have to beat the best. We’ll take game after game to lift the trophy in June.”
The first leg this time will be played at the Santiago Bernabeu on April 9, with the second leg at the Etihad nine days later.
Manchester City have faced Los Blancos 10 times before in competitive matches, winning four, losing three and drawing three.
Real Madrid and Manchester City's route to UCL quarter-finals
While both sides have had some ups and downs in their domestic seasons, they've been excellent in the Champions League 2023-24.
Real Madrid won all six of their group games against Napoli, FC Braga and Union Berlin. They topped the group and faced RB Leipzig in the Round of 16. Los Blancos did have to toil hard against the German side but beat them 1-0 away in the first leg before drawing 1-1 at home.
Manchester City, meanwhile, also won all six of their group games against RB Leipzig, Young Boys and Crvena Zvezda. They faced FC Copenhagen in the Round of 16 and beat them 6-2 on aggregate, winning each leg 3-1.
Both sides are also involved in the title race in their respective leagues, with Los Blancos being more comfortable. They lead the La Liga table by eight points and will host second-placed Barcelona just after the second leg against City.
Manchester City, meanwhile, are second in the Premier League table, a point behind Liverpool and leaders Arsenal. They're also active in the FA Cup and will face Chelsea in the semi-finals after their second-leg clash against Real Madrid.