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Pep Guardiola must be worried about the prospect of facing Carlo Ancelotti so soon after last season's loss, but in case he is not, here are three more reasons why he should be
With Manchester City set to take on Real Madrid in the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League, there must be some air of apprehension around Guardiola after his team failed to beat Ancelotti’s side despite having the upper hand for most of the game.
Guardiola found out that Ancelotti is a master of the UCL’s chaos and with the prospect of facing him again so soon, here are three more reasons why the Spaniard will be giving the match-up as much thought as he can muster.
Most UCL title wins
Ancelotti holds a special place in UEFA Champions League history after claiming the most trophies in the competition's history, with four titles across two of Europe’s biggest clubs to his name.
When Real Madrid play Manchester City, Ancelotti will be gunning for his fifth UCL title, after already winning the trophy in 2003 and 2007 with AC Milan, as well as 2014 and 2022 with Real Madrid.
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With a victory in this year’s competition, Ancelotti could open a two-trophy gap over the next most successful managers in UCL history, Liverpool’s Bob Pasley and Real Madrid’s Zinedine Zidane, and a three-trophy gap between himself and Tuesday’s opponent, Guardiola.
Most Semifinal wins
The current Real Madrid gaffer showed last season that he, perhaps more than any other manager, is adept at managing the tense situations that come with playing in the most crucial stages of the UCL.
Real Madrid’s composure under pressure against Manchester City last season showed the touch of a seasoned specialist at this stage of the competition, and it is quite expected since no other manager in the competition's history has won at this stage more than Don Carlo.
The Italian manager has won five of the previous nine semifinals he has been involved in, a better winning ratio than any other manager to have played up to six semifinals, making him a veteran of success at this stage.
UCL’s greatest-ever manager
With the most titles won in the competition, as well as the most semifinals won, and the most overall matches won, there is little doubt about Ancelotti’s place in the UEFA Champions League at the moment.
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While his national league record might be dodgy, no manager can step to his Champions League legacy at the moment, and the thought of facing him in his own competition will be daungting for any manager including Guardiola.
Few managers understand the competition as well as Ancelotti, and his experience in this tournament could be what sees Real Madrid over the line.
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