Pep Guardiola said after Manchester City pipped Real Madrid to an automatic place in the Champions League round of 16 that he will “of course” be sending his thanks to former adversary José Mourinho.
It was Mourinho’s Benfica shocking Real Madrid with a 4–2 win in Lisbon, securing their own place in the knockout playoffs in the process, that bumped Los Blancos down to ninth and ensured City’s 2–0 victory against Galatasaray was enough to sneak into the top eight—Guardiola admitted his players were “all watching it in the dressing room.”
Real Madrid losing by any margin was enough for what City needed. But Guardiola’s players and staff couldn’t quite believe what they were seeing when Benfica goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin went forward for a late corner and powered a header past Thibaut Courtois.
The Trubin Show 😲🤯😱🫢#UCL pic.twitter.com/HGpdqNm2Rc
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) January 28, 2026
Mourinho’s side were already winning 3–2 but still needed to boost their goal difference by one more to jump ahead of Marseille, who are now eliminated, and finish 24th.
“We didn’t know Benfica needed [another] goal to qualify [for the knockout playoffs], so when their goalkeeper went up, we said: ‘Why?!’ But it was a good strategy for José,” Guardiola admitted.
Bye to Round of 16 Important for Man City
Finishing in the top eight means bypassing an entire round of the competition, avoiding the knockout playoffs that will be the domain of the 16 clubs who placed ninth to 24th.
That’s two fewer games to cram into a schedule already bursting at the seams.
Had Mourinho, whose time as Real Madrid manager from 2010–2013 aligned with Guardiola’s Barcelona tenure and saw both clubs push each other to the limit—tensions even spilled into physical violence between staff, not masterminded a Benfica win it would have meant two extra Champions League fixtures for City to play in February.
Now, that is for Real Madrid to worry about and, from a Manchester City perspective, the Champions League can be put to one side until the middle of March, allowing greater focus on a developing Premier League title race, the FA Cup and Carabao Cup.
Even without the Champions League knockout playoff, City have seven confirmed fixtures for February, which would have been nine in the space of 28 days without a helping hand from Benfica. With FA Cup and Carabao Cup progress expected, plus the Champions League round of 16, March looks equally busy, with up to another six games in just 22 days before the international break.
Overall, it is potentially 13 games to play in 40 days from the start of February. The delight and relief that it is not 15 games in 40 days is very understandable.
Man City Upcoming Fixtures in February, March—All Competitions
| Date | Fixture | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| Feb. 1, 2026 | Tottenham vs. Man City | Premier League |
| Feb. 4, 2026 | Man City vs. Newcastle | Carabao Cup SF second leg |
| Feb. 8, 2026 | Liverpool vs. Man City | Premier League |
| Feb. 11, 2026 | Man City vs. Fulham | Premier League |
| Feb. 14, 2026 | Man City vs. Salford City | FA Cup fourth round |
| Feb. 21, 2026 | Man City vs. Newcastle | Premier League |
| Feb. 28, 2026 | Leeds vs. Man City | Premier League |
| March 4, 2026 | Man City vs. Nottingham Forest | Premier League |
| March 7, 2026 | potential fixture TBC | FA Cup fifth round |
| March 10/11, 2026 | TBC vs. Man City | Champions League R16 |
| March 14, 2026 | West Ham vs. Man City | Premier League |
| March 17/18, 2026 | Man City vs. TBC | Champions League R16 |
| March 21. 2026 | *Man City vs. Crystal Palace | Premier League |
| March 22. 2026 | potential fixture TBC | Carabao Cup final |
*would be postponed if Man City reach Carabao Cup final
Man City, Real Madrid Could Meet Again
The seeding process for the knockout phase means finishing eighth in the league phase throws up the possibility of facing in the round of 16 the team that placed ninth, 10th, 23rd or 24th.
Real Madrid or Inter will meet Bødo/Glimt or Benfica, depending on the outcome of Friday’s knockout playoff draw.
If Los Blancos are drawn into Manchester City’s pathway, they would be expected to get through to set up a knockout meeting for the fifth season in a row—they already played each other during this season’s league phase as it is and have gone head-to-head 11 times since 2020 alone.
Man City vs. Real Madrid Results—Since 2020
| Date | Result | Champions League phase |
|---|---|---|
| Feb. 26, 2020 | Real Madrid 1–2 Man City | 2019–20, R16 first leg |
| Aug. 7, 2020 | Man City 2–0 Real Madrid | 2019–20, R16 second leg |
| April 26, 2022 | Man City 4–3 Real Madrid | 2021–22, SF first leg |
| May 4, 2022 | Real Madrid 3–1 Man City | 2021–22, SF second leg |
| May 9, 2023 | Real Madrid 1–1 Man City | 2022–23, SF first leg |
| May 17, 2023 | Man City 4–0 Real Madrid | 2022–23, SF second leg |
| April 9, 2024 | Real Madrid 3–3 Man City | 2023–24, QF first leg |
| April 17, 2024 | Man City 1–1 Real Madrid | 2023–24, QF second leg |
| Feb. 11, 2025 | Man City 2–3 Real Madrid | 2024–25, playff first leg |
| Feb. 19, 2025 | Real Madrid 3–1 Man City | 2024–25, playoff seond leg |
| Dec. 10, 2025 | Real Madrid 1–2 Man City | 2025–26 league phase |
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Pep Guardiola Reveals Jose Mourinho Plan After Receiving Huge Favour.
