Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola reveals surprise stadium he will miss when he retires - 'The reason I adore England'

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A 50th meeting with Real Madrid as player and coach awaits Pep Guardiola on Wednesday when Manchester City head to the Spanish capital for the first leg of their UEFA Champions League first leg tie. The career milestone got Guardiola in a reflective mood when speaking to TNT Sports before the game as the City head coach revealed the surprising stadiums he will miss the most when he retires.

'I love it!' - Guardiola reveals surprising Premier League stadium he will miss after retiring

Video credit: TNT Sports

Pep Guardiola may be years away from retirement but the Manchester City head coach already knows which stadiums he will miss the most – and they could be a surprise to some.

The Spaniard is preparing his latest assault on the UEFA Champions League knockout stages when City face Real Madrid for a fifth consecutive season at the Bernabeu on Wednesday night for the first leg of their last 16 tie, live on TNT Sports and discovery+.

Guardiola lifted the trophy twice as Barcelona coach before leading City to their historic first title in 2022/23 – knocking Real out along the way in the semi-finals.

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The Citizens boss is well versed at facing the Madrid club, this being his 50th meeting with them as a player and coach after participating in many fiery el clasico games over the years.

But when asked if he will miss his clashes with Barca’s fiercest rivals when he retires, the 55-year-old offered up a somewhat less illustrious opponent he loves travelling to: Crystal Palace.

"Of course I will miss [games against Real Madrid]. I know I’m not incredibly loved in this place, but I like to come," Guardiola told TNT Sports.

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Video credit: TNT Sports

"I will miss [it], but I will miss going to Camp Nou, to Bayern Munich – hopefully we can go through and go there. When I stop and retire, I will miss these nights.

"I will miss Selhurst Park as well – I love it!

"The Premier League stadiums. The Champions League, I will miss it, but Fulham, Crystal Palace, old Goodison Park, these stadiums are one of the reasons I adore England, I adore the Premier League. The FA Cup against League One [teams], I like it a lot."

Pep on what brought 'most satisfaction'

Guardiola has more pressing concerns in the immediate future as he looks to find a way past the Spanish giants to reach the quarter-finals.

The former Barca and Bayern Munich head coach explained how the improvement City have made in Europe’s top competition under his guidance fills him with pride.

The Premier League side competed in the Champions League for the first time in 2011/12 and are now in their 14th campaign in the tournament.

And Guardiola explained how it took some time for the players to feel they were ready to compete with the most storied clubs in the world for silverware.

"The thrill is that we got better. I think the first years we were not aware that we could do it - the historical, prestigious Madrid," Guardiola said.

Guardiola reveals 'most satisfaction' he has gained from City's recent ties against Real Madrid

Video credit: TNT Sports

"I always said in that competition we are 14 years playing [in it], these guys have 15 Champions Leagues. They have more Champions League [titles] than [years] we have played in the competition.

"You need to process that and in the beginning, I think we didn’t feel it. We grew up and tried to be aware that we can do it.

"That is the most satisfaction that I have, that we installed to the club."

How to watch Real Madrid v Man City on TNT Sports

Real Madrid v Manchester City takes place on Wednesday, March 11 at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid.

Kick-off is at 20:00 UK time, with live coverage on TNT Sports 1 and discovery+ starting from 19:00.

TNT Sports is available across all major TV platforms, offering a line-up of up to four TV channels (TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports 2, TNT Sports 3, TNT Sports 4), and up to six digital or red-button channels (TNT Sports 5 to 10), and TNT Sports Ultimate plus TNT Sports Box Office HD.

You can subscribe to TNT Sports through discovery+, BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media.

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Here is the TNT Sports schedule and TV guide. And for the full Premier League schedule, click here.

Stream the Premier League, Men’s and Women’s FA Cup, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League and more on TNT Sports and discovery+

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