Wednesday 4 May 2016 19:33, UK
Joe Hart's second-half heroics saved Manchester City in the first leg but Real Madrid have a formidable home record in Europe. With the Champions League semi-final in the balance, we look at City's reasons for hope - and caution...
"We couldn't have wished for more at this stage," said Manchester City's Vincent Kompany after last week's Champions League semi-final first-leg 0-0 draw with Real Madrid at the Etihad.
Los Blancos might have failed to score an away goal but City still face a huge task to knockout the 2014 winners.
Here, we look at some key reason why Manchester City should be cheerful - and fearful - ahead of next Wednesday's decider...
Hart the Hero
Where better to start than Joe Hart, whose second-half heroics single-handedly kept City's hopes alive in the first leg. Make no mistake, if he hadn't prevented Pepe from netting late on, Manchester City's chances of making the final would have suffered a serious blow before they had even stepped foot on their plane to Madrid.
He is surely one of the best goalkeepers in the world, and is capable of making the kind of reaction save that will keep City in any match. The mark of a great goalkeeper is being able to pull out a world-class stop after a long period of inactivity, and he did exactly that on Tuesday night.
Despite being a spectator for much of the tie, Hart was there when he was called upon, and he will be vital in the second leg too.
Ronaldo ready?
Cristiano Ronaldo's absence from the first leg was announced as he sat in the away dugout at the Etihad, wearing CR7-branded shoes and shiny gold headphones. While he appeared relaxed, Zinedine Zidane may have felt slightly differently knowing his star man was missing Madrid's biggest game of the season so far.
In fact, Real Madrid have won just 43 per cent of their Champions League matches without him since 2009/10, while his inclusion in their starting XI has yielded a 71 per cent win rate. Worryingly for City, his return for the second leg seems to be on track.
The prolific Portugal international had been out with a hamstring injury since April 20 but the 31-year-old joined his team-mates for training on Sunday - and Zidane says he is '100 per cent' for Wednesday's clash.
Ronaldo is the top scorer in this season's Champions League with 16 goals from 10 appearances and his return for the second leg would obviously be a huge boost for Real.
But Sky Sports' Guillem Balague is not convinced he will take to the Bernabeu turf in mint condition.
"If you followed Ronaldo's training session on Tuesday, he didn't shoot once with his right leg so he doesn't seem to be 100 per cent, no matter what Zidane says," Balague told Sky Sports News HQ on Tuesday. "Of course he will start, though - he'll probably be with Bale and Jese up front."
Clean-sheet kings
Manchester City's backline may have come unstuck against Southampton on Sunday, conceding four goals in a heavy defeat, but Manuel Pellegrini had made three changes to the four-man defence he fielded against Real Madrid. The City boss will hope the return of Bacary Sagna, Gael Clichy and Vincent Kompany will help his side shut out the Spanish side again.
City have kept clean sheets in three consecutive home Champions League matches, after managing just one in the previous 17. Now, after silencing Zlatan Ibrahimovic and PSG in the second-leg of their quarter-final tie, they must do the same at the Bernabeu to boost their chances of reaching the final.
Second-leg success
Manchester City fans will head to the Bernabeu on May 4 thinking they got their own way in the first leg, but was it all part of Real Madrid's masterplan? The Spanish giants have won a remarkable seven of eight European ties in the second leg after drawing 0-0 in the first.
A goalless draw was good for City because one away goal in the second leg leaves Madrid needing two to progress, but Real Madrid will be expected to get on the scoresheet in front of their own fans.
Despite a recent improvement, the English club have only kept a clean sheet away from home in the Champions League twice since 2011. Coupled with Real Madrid's utterly ridiculous European home form, Pellegrini and his players are in for one hell of a ride - Real Madrid have failed to score at home in the Champions League just once in the last seven years.
Not-so-super Sergio
If Man City are to progress, they are likely to need top scorer Sergio Aguero to deliver.
In the Premier League this season, Aguero has thrived, scoring 23 goals. But on the European stage, he has struggled. The 27-year-old has now gone 432 minutes without a single shot on target in the Champions League.
Aguero has netted just twice in the Champions League this term. The former Atletico Madrid man will be desperate to net against his old rivals on May 4. Now is the time to make it count - Manchester City will be relying on him.
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