Real Madrid. Defeating them in the Champions League knock-out stages is a gargantuan task but to lift the famous trophy aloft that's what, often enough, you have to do sooner or later.
The mouth-watering semi-final tie certainly has the grandeur of a final. After a difficult start to 2023, Manchester City have once again found their unrelenting, immaculate form. Spearheaded by Erling Haaland, driven by Jack Grealish, beguiled by Kevin De Bruyne, held together by Rodri, ticked on by Ilkay Gundogan, protected by Ruben Dias. It may well be the best Pep Guardiola's Blues have ever looked.
A team that looks unstoppable, destined to finally claim their most desired prize, perhaps even clinch a historic treble to rival their neighbours', facing the spoilers, the wily veterans, the gatekeepers, the undisputed kings of the tournament. The old guard of Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Karim Benzema as sublime as ever, complimented by the thrilling and exuberant new generation: Eduardo Camavinga, Rodrygo, Federico Valverde, Aurelian Tchouameni and a player surely now considered among the best on the planet: Vinicius Junior.
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Los Blancos might not be going well in La Liga, languishing 14 points behind leaders Barcelona, but in the Champions League it does not matter. You can never rule them out. Only Liverpool can rival the mysticism and romance that surrounds Madrid in European competition. They have the weight of history and tradition behind them. It's not just the skill and tactics, it's the unquantifiable concepts of fate, belief, and inevitability that drive them on like the wind. Unseeable, untouchable but undeniable.
That's what City are up against when they travel to the Bernabeu. They've faced it before and know how difficult, and devastating it can be.
They twice went into a two-goal lead in the semi-final first leg a year ago but Madrid, far from their best, just kept coming back and eventually escaped by to Spain with just a one-goal deficit. Yet in the second leg, they were flat and uninspired. A tense game saw City take the lead in the 73rd minute and it felt like game over. It's never game over.
Madrid pulled one back in the 90th minute, Rodrygo stealing in ahead of Dias to flick home. Renewed hope swept through the Bernabeu. Everyone could feel what was coming. A minute later and Rodrygo headed home the equaliser.
Ederson had to come out quickly to deny Vinicius a winner in normal time but he could do nothing to prevent Benzema from sliding in from the penalty spot and securing a remarkable comeback victory in extra time. As much as it was a typical display of Madrid resolution, it was also a classic City collapse.
City's agonising eliminations have a pattern of them being in total control but conceding one goal and then being completely powerless in stopping their opponents' growing momentum. Like a dominant boxer not used to having their chin tested, City get wobbly legs when they are hit by a powerful blow and wind up looking up at the lights. Knocked out.
It has at times betrayed a lack of mental resolve or resilience. Whenever something goes against them, be it a goal, a bad decision, or a sense of injustice, they have been unable to regain their composure and recover.
But this season, as recently as Saturday, we have seen them grow from their heartbreak and show a much tougher, braver face when things aren't going their way. They were cruising against Leeds but when Gundogan missed his penalty and they concede a moment later, it was the exact sort of scenario where City in years gone by would completely lose their heads and end up throwing it away. Even against a side as poor as Leeds.
But instead, they steadied themselves, calmed down and held out for a vital three points. Likewise in their last Champions League match against Bayern Munich, despite having a healthy advantage in the second leg City were put under immense pressure by the Bavarians. The Blues saw little of the ball and had to work harder than in most matches but they didn't wilt or falter. Every player kept calm and they never came close to losing like they did in Madrid.
City have beaten Madrid before, of course. The round of 16 tie of 2020 saw them put in one of their finest European performances in the Spanish capital and they eventually prevailed six months later at the Etihad when football resumed amid the pandemic. But it doesn't compare to this.
Madrid have beaten City in two semi-finals and neither of them had as much on the line as this, when City could potentially become just the second English team to win the treble. But City have never been in a better place on the pitch or in their heads to overcome their white whale. They've never been more prepared.
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