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Manchester City travel to the Estadio Bernabeu on Wednesday for another Champions League meeting with Real Madrid, with Pep Guardiola convinced the squad approach this last-16 tie in a stronger condition than one year ago, as City sit second in the Premier League and remain in both domestic cups.

City, who have reached the EFL Cup final and the FA Cup quarter-finals, face Madrid for a fifth straight season in UEFA’s main competition, and Guardiola believes the current depth of the squad, plus the ability to rotate across several tournaments, leaves the holders in a better physical and mental state.

This latest clash will be the 16th Champions League encounter between Manchester City and Real Madrid, which is double the number of games City have played against any other opponent in the competition, with Bayern Munich next on eight, and Madrid remain the only club to have eliminated City four times.

Those exits include defeats in the 2023-24 quarter-finals and the 2024-25 play-offs, yet City have also enjoyed success against Los Blancos, winning five Champions League matches against them, a tally bettered only by Bayern, with eight wins, and Juventus, who have beaten Madrid seven times in the tournament.

City’s record has also included a 2-1 victory over Madrid in this season’s league phase, and data from the Opta supercomputer rates City with a 69% probability of progressing to the quarter-finals, a figure that ranks behind only Bayern on 80% and Arsenal on 87% among the leading contenders.

Madrid still pose a major threat at the Bernabeu, especially in knockout ties, and the last visiting side to keep a clean sheet there in a Champions League knockout fixture was Barcelona in April 2011, when Guardiola was in charge, with Madrid scoring in 39 consecutive home knockout matches since, averaging 2.2 goals and 86 in total.

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We arrive better in terms of where we are with the squad. Last season we arrived with a lot of fatigue and had few players available, Guardiola told reporters. When you have everybody fit and playing in a lot of competitions and games, it is better to rotate. Fresh legs and fresh minds.

Guardiola returns to a familiar venue and suggested the team’s experience in the Spanish capital should help manage the atmosphere, explaining that previous visits have reduced the sense of occasion, while also stressing that City must still perform with their usual style and personality to gain an advantage over Madrid.

Emotions come when you play bad or your opponents play better, Guardiola added on playing at the Bernabeu once again. It is not the first time we are here. We have come many times and a lot of players know [the stadium]. For sure, good things cannot happen if you are not yourselves.

On the touchline, Guardiola is due to reach another personal landmark, as this game will be his 190th match as a manager in the UEFA Champions League, which draws him level with Manchester United’s Sir Alex Ferguson, and only former Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti, with 218 games, will stand above Guardiola on the all-time list.

Elsewhere, goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma reflected on the wider Champions League picture, noting the strength of several clubs in this season’s competition and pointing to Paris Saint-Germain’s rise last year as an example of how quickly perceptions can change in European knockout football.

I think there are some teams that can make it to the final, there are many strong and tough teams, Donnarumma said. If you speak about last season, before the round of 16, nobody thought that PSG could be a strong candidate to win the final, but things can change overnight. It depends on the timing and how fit the team is. Right now we are about to play games whether you are in or out. You need to manage things properly. You have two games, sometimes you don’t have to put so many things at risk. Every single detail can make a difference. In the Champions League, details are everything and they can make the difference. There are many teams that can win the Champions League. We will try to move on and make it to the end, but there are very strong teams that can do the same.

As Manchester City prepare for another visit to the Bernabeu, their improved squad depth, strong domestic position and favourable statistical outlook contrast with Madrid’s impressive scoring streak at home, setting up a finely balanced tie in which experience, rotation and attention to small details are likely to decide who advances.

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