Manchester City have always dominated in the Premier League ever since the Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al Nahyan take over in 2008 who brought in financial muscles into the club making them able to fetch from the market the best in the world of football. To a team of their stature, failing to win the UEFA Champions League has now become a sporting anomaly. In last season's campaign, they came very close to clinching the title but they failed to outsmart Chelsea's intelligence in the final where they succumbed to a 1-0 defeat. According to the transfer market, the Premier League title holders have spent £1.49 billion on transfers ever since the 2011-12 season. They also boast of one of the world's greatest coaches, Pep Guardiola who has won multiple titles at Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and even City itself. He is the only coach who has got the most UCL semi-final appearances.  

City's dominance in the domestic league has seen them qualify for the UCL consecutively for the last 11 seasons but despite all their football prowess, they have failed to clinch Europe's most coveted football crown even as they head into a semi-final match against the Spanish capital giants, Real Madrid tonight. During the time that they have been enjoying excellent football form and financial power, their European ‘big boys’ counterparts have been taking home the UCL trophy. Their tonight rivals, Real Madrid have won it 4 times, the Catalan giants, Barcelona have won it thrice, Chelsea twice, their EPL arch-rivals, Liverpool have been into two finals, winning one, their City rivals, Manchester United have as well been into two finals but were not lucky to win any of them. Astonishingly, both the final league finals that United have lost during this 14-year period were to Guardiola's Barcelona. Bayern Munich have also won the title during this period not to mention that Juventus has been to several finals.

The Premier League for the past four years has been reduced into a title race between City and Liverpool to the extend that domestic challenges have diminished. The two teams boast of quality and excellent depth in their squads and they are currently, arguably, the two best teams in England if not in Europe. Liverpool have got to square it out with giant sinkers, Villarreal who have already sunk Juventus and Bayern Munich out of the competition. If Manchester City are to get out of the predicament that they share with their fellow giants, Paris Saint Germain, then they will have to bring on their A-game when they face Real Madrid tonight who have already knocked out PSG and Chelsea thanks to their star striker Karim Benzema. If they go passed Real Madrid, then the only hurdle remaining in their way will be either Liverpool or Villarreal and we might be tempted that Pep Guardiola will be wishing it is not the former.