Over the last few seasons, Manchester City have invariably been the favorites to win the Champions League. The Premier League title winners in four of the last five campaigns have one of the strongest squads on the continent. Their manager, Pep Guardiola, is widely regarded as one of the best of all time.

Yet despite having so many factors in their favor, City have continually fallen short. In 2019 they lost to Tottenham Hotspur, a team whom they finished a full 27 points above in the Premier League, in the quarter-finals.

The following season brought a shock defeat by Lyon at the same stage, before City reached their first final in 2021 - only to lose to Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea. Last time around they looked destined to reach another final, but a stunning late comeback from Real Madrid in the semis knocked City out in dramatic fashion.

Will this season be different? One charge against Guardiola is that he often overthinks his team selection and tactics in Champions League knockout ties. Rather than selecting his best XI and backing them to emerge victorious, the tinkering Spaniard has seen several of his tweaks backfire.

Guardiola is unlikely to fall into the same trap this term. City are in fantastic form as they chase down Arsenal in the Premier League title race. And in Erling Haaland they have a generational goal scorer whose uncanny ability to put the ball in the back of the net can get his team out of any hole.

But City will have to do things the hard way. Even if they get past Bayern Munich, they will probably have to overcome Real Madrid in the semi-final. But the Champions League is not supposed to be easy, and City will no doubt relish the challenge.

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