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Pep proposes Real change to CL format
Manchester Evening News
|March 02, 2026
PEP Guardiola believes the current Champions League format has its flaws after Manchester City were again paired with Real Madrid.
The two teams played each other in the League Phase - with City winning in the Bernabeau - and met in the playoff round last season. The meetings in the last-16 this month will be the 10th and 11th between the clubs across the past five seasons.
The draw comes after Real played Benfica in the final round of League Phase fixtures and then again in the playoff round last month. And Guardiola feels the Champions League would benefit from a change to avoid playing the same team twice until the latter stages.
This story is from the March 02, 2026 edition of Manchester Evening News.
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