Manchester City will use Liverpool's difficult Champions League last-16 draw against Real Madrid as a reminder that nothing is guaranteed in the competition.
City were paired with RB Leipzig in the last-16 after the Blues topped their group, and will be reunited with the Germans after facing them in last season's group stage. City won the home game 6-3 in the first gameweek, before being beaten in Leipzig having already topped the group.
However, it was Liverpool's pairing with Real Madrid in a repeat of last season's final that caught the interest of director of football Txiki Begiristain, with one of the pre-season tournament favourites guaranteed to be knocked out before the quarter-finals.
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And with Paris Saint-Germain facing Bayern Munich, plus the likes of Atletico Madrid, Juventus and Barcelona already exiting the competition, Begiristain said the draw serves as a reminder that nobody is guaranteed success in the Champions League.
“Some big names and big clubs are already out - some of them are now not playing in Europe because they were last in the group,” Begiristain explained.
“It shows how difficult it is in this competition. Everyone has to respect their opponent in this competition and that is what we try to do. Liverpool and Real Madrid are two unbelievable clubs, and they were two of the candidates to win, but one will be out. But still the ones who are there in the quarter-finals are going to deserve to be there. We want to be one of them.”
Reflecting on City's own draw, Begiristain suggested that a German opponent isn't ideal given their style of play and also the memories of last season's games against Leipzig.
“Leipzig are not new ones in this competition - they are doing an unbelievable job,” he continued, adding that the games are unlikely to be particularly enjoyable for City staff.
“They are in Europe, always, and they are fighting us in the last-16, so they are growing as a club and growing as a project. This is German football - very open, box-to-box games, which we don’t like too much, because we like always to have the control - so it’s going to be difficult this kind of football.
“We are going to meet old friends - we played last season against them. They were very open games, and we can be sure they will be very attractive games.
“We were able to win the home game, but we struggled a lot. There were a lot of goals, which is nice for the people watching but not for the professional people! In the second game, everything was done, and we lost. But we know what they are as a club and as a project and as a team, also what they are doing in Germany and, of course, we have to be very careful.”
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