Can Manchester City finally break their Champions League duck this season?

Manchester City have one foot in the Champions League semi-finals after a fine win over Bayern Munich on Tuesday night.

Pep Guardiola’s side will take a 3-0 lead into the second leg of their quarter-final in Germany and are on course for a third-consecutive semi-final appearance.

They have yet to lift the European Cup in their history but here, Football Mad looks at whether the time is now to break that duck.

How close have they come in recent years?

Guardiola twice took Barcelona to the Champions League title – beating Manchester United in both the 2009 and 2011 finals – but has yet to work his European magic at the Etihad Stadium.

They have come agonisingly close, however, reaching the final in 2021 only to lose to Chelsea as Kai Havertz hit the only goal of the game.

They followed that up last season as they went through to the last four, losing 6-5 on aggregate in heartbreaking circumstances to eventual winners Real Madrid.

Before reaching the final, the best City had done under Guardiola was three quarter-final appearances in a row so now they have the know-how to go deep into the Champions League.

What could make the difference this time round?

It is not a question of what – more a question of who.

That ‘who’ is Erling Haaland, the summer signing who has been in scintillating form ever since pulling on a City shirt.

The Norway striker scored the third in the win of Bayern to take his tally for the season to 45 goals in 39 games across all competitions this season – already breaking the record for the number scored by a Premier League player in a whole campaign.

His domestic numbers have been nothing short of sensational but he also has European defences on notice with a stunning record in continental football, the 22-year-old having amassed 34 goals in 26 Champions League games for Red Bull Salzburg, Borussia Dortmund and now City.

What about the rest of the squad?

While Haaland has been a whirlwind of goals since his signing, the nucleus of Guardiola’s squad has been retained.

They added another Premier League title – a third in four years – after being knockout out by Madrid last year and are fighting with Arsenal at the top of the table once more.

All of that winning and the big-game experience can only help in the latter stages of such an elite competition.

The likes of Rodri, Bernardo Silva, Ilkay Gundogan and Kevin De Bruyne continue to sparkle as diamonds in Guardiola’s team and their continued learning could help City over the line this year.

Who else is chipping in?

The players mentioned above have been in fine form for City on such a regular basis it is no surprise that they are among those driving the Champions League charge.

A number of their team-mates, however, have upped their game in recent months to add even more quality to the ranks.

Since the World Cup, England forward Jack Grealish has weighed in with 10 goal involvements as the £100million man has seemingly finally found his feet at City.

Nathan Ake, a squad player last season, has become integral to how Guardiola wants his team to play in the final weeks of the campaign and has adapted well to being played at full-back.

Likewise, fellow defender John Stones has locked down a position in the first-choice starting XI as another player who has stepped up to the challenge laid down by his manager.