Since he arrived in England, Pep Guardiola has always talked up the importance of history.
The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss has always considered previous success to be a big factor in assessing where a team should be. He described Manchester City as 'teenagers' in the Champions League four years ago to suggest they were not as established as others, and described United's brief dalliance with the top of the Premier League this season as 'the position they normally should be' despite their lack of a title since 2013.
It was easy to see what he meant at the Allianz Arena where City were hit with the force of not just 11 players but the entire might of Bayern Munich as one of Europe's biggest superclubs threw everything at the Blues to overcome their first-leg deficit. Days later, their opponents may have been second-tier but Guardiola's respect for Wembley and the FA Cup could be seen by his team selection that included several stars that had run themselves into the ground in Germany.
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For all the domestic domination City have enjoyed in recent years, there is a reason Guardiola is still pointing to Real Madrid as the team to beat in the Champions League in the semi-final. Even if some of it is to amplify the potential achievement for himself and his club, there are few in football who could argue against the size of 14-times winners Real going up against zero-times winners City.
Should the Blues make it all the way in Europe this year, there will be extra satisfaction for having beaten multiple giants of the competition to do so. A final against a Milan club, even if seen as less difficult than the previous two rounds, would still add prestige to City's run for Guardiola.
Similarly, while Mikel Arteta's side are young and hungry they are at a club that had won five more league titles than City with only United and Liverpool winning more than Arsenal in the history of English football. Being on course for another 90-point season in a league where 12 out of 20 clubs spent over £100m for the campaign is an achievement that cannot be played down.
The third leg of an historic Treble now means an FA Cup final with United - the first ever final between the Manchester teams. There is an argument that Brighton would have been a more difficult game for City given the specific skills in the team but as far as history is concerned there is no comparison.
City are only 12 games from becoming the second team in English football to do the Treble. But not only is it incredibly difficult to come out on top in any 11 games never mind the end of the season, Guardiola's side will have to best Arsenal, Real Madrid (twice) and United in their three competitions.
History is against City, but the reward on offer has become even bigger.
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