Manchester City will travel to the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday night looking to reach the final of the Champions League for the first time in their history.
Real Madrid
When it comes to this stage of Europe’s top-tier tournament, there is no club more experienced than Real Madrid.
Los Blancos are appearing in the last four for a record 27th time, and the difference between themselves and first-time semi-finalists Manchester City could not be any greater in that regard.
However, that didn’t prove to be a factor in the first leg at the Etihad Stadium last week, with a Cristiano Ronaldo-less Madrid being held to a goalless draw by Manuel Pellegrini’s men.
The good news for Zinedine Zidane is that Ronaldo is back available for the game, with the all-time Champions League top scorer missing the first leg due to a hamstring injury.
He has been in scintillating form yet again this season, and is almost single-handedly responsible for Madrid avoiding a shock quarter-final exit at the hands of Wolfsburg, netting a second-leg hat-trick to overturn a 2-0 deficit in the last round.
Recent form: WWWLWD
Recent form (all competitions): WWWWDW
Manchester City
Manchester City are in uncharted territory as a club, but they do have experience which could prove vital on Wednesday night in the form of Pellegrini.
The Chilean manager has not only graced this stage of the competition before, reaching the semi-finals with Villarreal in 2006, but he also spent a season in charge at the Bernabeu.
Pellegrini steered Los Blancos to a then club-record number of La Liga points, but even that wasn’t enough to save his job and he may feel similarly hard done by when it comes to his impending Man City exit
City are, however, unbeaten in their last six Champions League matches – their longest ever run in the competition – and have already won in Spain once this season, beating Sevilla 3-1 in the group stages.
Indeed, the Citizens have only lost one of their five away games in Europe this term, although in all competitions they have only managed to win two of their last seven outings on the road.
They have also lost on all five of the previous occasions where they have drawn the home first leg of a European tie, including one where that first leg ended goalless, going down at the hands of Fenerbahce in the 1968 European Cup.
Recent form: WWDDWD
Recent form (all competitions): WWDWDL
Team News
Ronaldo has been declared fit for Wednesday’s match, with the striker needing just one more goal to equal his own all-time record of 17 in a single Champions League season.
Gareth Bale, who scored the winner at the weekend, will also start, but there is a doubt over Karim Benzema after he limped off in the first leg.
Elsewhere, Casemiro is another doubt for the home side having missed training, while the likes of Pepe, Marcelo and Dani Carvajal are expected to be recalled having sat out at the weekend.
Head To Head
Prior to last week’s first leg, these two sides had only previously met in the 2012-13 Champions L`eague group stage, when Madrid came from behind twice to win 3-2 in Spain before picking up a 1-1 draw in Manchester.
Madrid are unbeaten in their last nine games against Premier League opposition, including four in a row at home, and have won seven of their 11 two-legged ties against English sides.
City, meanwhile, have only won one of their four two-legged ties against Spanish opposition, while in Spain they have won just two and lost five of their eight matches.
UEFA Champions League SF 2 : Real Madrid Vs. Manchester City
