Man City vs Real Madrid: CL desire still burns for Pep

Manchester City's bid to win their first Champions League title pits them against Real Madrid in the last four on Tuesday night.

City have not won European football's premier club competition and were beaten 1-0 by Chelsea in the 2020/21 final.

This is City's 11th Champions League campaign; they have been involved in the group stage every season since 2011/12 and have now reached the knockout rounds in nine successive campaigns.

Former Barcelona boss Guardiola, who has won the Champions League twice but not since 2011, says he has learned to live with a perception that he needs to win the competition.

Yet the club's long-held European ambitions remained unfulfilled last season as City fell short in the continent's showpiece final, losing to Chelsea in Porto - one of many City mishaps in the closing stages of a Champions League campaign under Guardiola.

There was the naivety against Monaco in 2017, the chaos against Liverpool in 2018 and the caution against Tottenham when Kevin De Bruyne was left on the bench in 2019. Against Lyon in 2020, Guardiola decided to play Rodri and Fernandinho and his side were eliminated.

Just under 11 years have now passed since Guardiola last won the biggest club game in European football.

Barcelona were extraordinary that evening at Wembley, delivering a performance that is rightly regarded as one of the greatest that any side has ever produced. This Manchester City team have arguably matched those levels of domination domestically but Guardiola's job at City will only be truly complete with Champions League glory.

Kyle Walker and John Stones both remain doubtful for Man City.

Right-back Walker has missed City's last three games while centre-back Stones suffered a knock in the Premier