A report by the Spanish newspaper "Marca" revealed that Spanish coach Pep Guardiola faces a significant challenge in matches played on Spanish soil since his departure from Barcelona in 2012, having won only three of the last twelve matches he has played in the country.

The report indicated that Manchester City will visit Real Madrid for the sixth time in less than four years, as the encounter between the two teams has become an almost constant tradition, especially in knockout stages, in addition to the group stage match that took place last December.

The report clarified that Manchester City won a previous match with two goals from Haaland against one from Rodrygo. However, the latter will not be available in this round due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury in his right knee. This match, along with the victory over Sevilla in 2022, was Guardiola's only win on Spanish soil in the last five years.

The report also highlighted that Guardiola's tenure with Bayern Munich was not much better on Spanish soil, as the team reached the UEFA Champions League semi-finals in each of his three seasons, but was eliminated by Spanish teams in all of them, including Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Atletico Madrid, in 2014, 2015, and 2016 respectively.

After his move to Manchester City, his results did not improve much, as he lost his first match with the English team against Barcelona with a score of 3-1 in the 2016/2017 season. He recorded his first win on Spanish soil in 2020 after City defeated Real Madrid, but subsequent matches saw repeated draws and defeats against Spanish clubs.

The report pointed out that Manchester City has struggled in recent years against Real Madrid, winning only two out of seven encounters, which is just 25% of the matches. This statistic underscores the difficulty Guardiola faces in securing victories on Spanish soil.

The report also added that Real Madrid is facing the current season under difficult circumstances due to injuries affecting its key players such as Mbappe, Bellingham, Rodrygo, and Carvajal, reducing the team's roster to 13 first-team players. Meanwhile, the dynamics of the season do not encourage optimism for the club, which has won 15 UEFA Champions League titles in its history.

According to the same source, these facts make Manchester City's upcoming match against Real Madrid a challenging test for Guardiola and confirm the ongoing difficulties that are hard to overcome on Spanish soil.