Pep Guardiola has dismissed suggestions that Arsenal have been given a less challenging route to the UEFA Champions League final, asserting that such an idea is disrespectful to their potential opponents.
The comments follow the completion of the draw for the quarter-final and semi-final stages, held on Friday after the Round of 16 concluded. Arsenal, managed by Mikel Arteta, will first face German Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen. Should they progress, their path would then lead to a tie against either Norwegian champions Bodø/Glimt or Portuguese side Sporting CP.
In contrast, Manchester City’s route involves a familiar heavyweight showdown. The reigning champions will meet Real Madrid for a fifth consecutive season in the Champions League knockout stages. A victory for City would most likely set up a quarter-final clash with German giants Bayern Munich.
When directly asked about the perceived difficulty of Arsenal’s draw, Guardiola was emphatic. “That would be so disrespectful,” he stated. “For example, Newcastle, Barcelona, top team. Atletico Madrid or Spurs. I’m not saying Madrid is not difficult, everybody knows it.”
He expanded on the theme of universal difficulty within the competition. “If you want to go through in this competition right now, you have to beat the best teams, otherwise you don’t deserve it,” Guardiola added.
The draw structures two contrasting paths. Arsenal’s initial opponent, Bayer Leverkusen, is on the verge of a historic unbeaten domestic season under manager Xabi Alonso. Both Bodø/Glimt and Sporting have proven formidable in their respective leagues and in European competition this season.
City’s route immediately presents a classic European fixture against Real Madrid, a team they have faced in three of the last four seasons. A potential meeting with Bayern Munich would reunite Guardiola with his former club, adding another layer of narrative to a persistently challenging side of the bracket.
Guardiola’s remarks underscore a common managerial perspective in the Champions League’s latter stages: that from the quarter-finals onward, every tie features elite opposition. His stance frames both Arsenal’s and City’s campaigns as requiring peak performance against top-tier opposition from their next match, regardless of the specific draw sequence. The next phase of the competition will test both English contenders against some of Europe’s most decorated and in-form clubs.
