Manchester City are going into the tie off a 4-0 win over Stoke City, which will see them with bags of confidence and hope that they could possibly overturn their Spanish Counterparts. Real Madrid also did well to win this weekend, recovering from 2-0 down against Rayo Vallecano to win 3-2 in the end.
City will be without Yaya Toure for the clash, the midfielder having failed to recover from a thigh injury suffered in Saturday’s 4-0 win over Stoke.
Manuel Pellegrini has stated “It’s very important to enjoy the semi-final as it’s not something we achieve every year. The players know that. It’s important not to be comfortable because we’re at this stage. Everyone wants to continue, to play the final. We’ll see a City team that will play to win.”
Real Madrid Boss Zinédine Zidane told the press: “We are in a decent vein of form, probably the best of the season. We are going to do the best we possibly can to score and try not to concede. It’s a game and tie that is 50/50. You can prepare all you want for a big game but then the game can turn out totally different to how you envisaged it. The important thing is to give 150%.”
The odds are stacked against City, without a doubt. Their lack of experience at this stage could well be telling, while their defence – even if it has been steadied by captain Vincent Kompany’s recent return – will have its work cut out against a Madrid side who have scored 18 goals in their last five fixtures.