City had to come from behind during an exciting quarter-final first leg on Tuesday (09.04.24) and the coach was delighted with the way his team kept composed during the game against the Spanish giants.

Guardiola told TNT Sports: "We started really well.

"They’re so difficult, Madrid, because they defend so well. The pace they have up front is unbelievable. That team is impossible to control. First half, we were a little bit anxious on the ball.

"In the second half, we showed our incredible personality in the way we played because 2-1 is risky, [especially] if you concede another goal in transition. To come back from 3-1 or 4-1 in Manchester would have been difficult and we came back with a lot of composure better in the first half.

"When you’re 76, 77 minutes in at this stadium, it’s an eternity. 3-3, we take it, and we have to win a game to qualify for the semi-finals. We have 95 minutes to beat the kings of this competition. We will go for it and the people will be there. They will score one goal, that’s for sure."

City let two leads slip during a topsy-turvy match but Guardiola feels that his team earned a "good result" as they head into next week's second leg on home turf.

He said: "We scored three goals in the Bernabeu, it’s really good. It’s a good result for us, definitely. I have too good an opinion of this team [Real] – it’s not a piece of cake."