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After a disappointing first leg, Real Madrid and Manchester City do battle at the Santiago Bernabeu with a spot in the Champions League final up for grabs. Join The Roar for live scores from 4:30am (AEST).
Despite the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo, Real could consider themselves unlucky not to take a first-leg lead back to Spain after outplaying City at the Etihad.
The fine form of City goalkeeper Joe Hart kept the first leg scoreless, much to the relief of Manuel Pellegrini, who heads into the second leg with the tie firmly in the balance.
Real were simply more composed with possession last week and threatened significantly down the flanks, with Gareth Bale in particular causing trouble in the second half.
The strong work ethic of players such as Casemiro, Luka Modric and Toni Kroos also helped Real establish a foothold in the match.
City meanwhile lacked penetration in the final third, with Sergio Aguero and Kevin De Bruyne well contained for the majority of the contest, while key playmaker David Silva injured himself in the first half last week and will not play tonight.
Despite their underwhelming performance at home, City are still well in the tie. The fact that they kept a clean sheet will keep Real honest, as the home side looks to avoid conceding an away goal that could really complicate things.
With the impeding return of talisman Ronaldo however, City’s defence will face more pressure than in the first leg, and it remains to be seen if the likes of Vincent Kompany and Nicolas Otamendi can keep out a team that usually dominates at home.
If City wish to unsettle Real, they need to press aggressively as a unit. Fernando and Fernandinho need to hustle hard in a bid to win possession and bring attacking stars Aguero and De Bruyne into play.
With Real eager to impose authority on home soil, City will have chances to attack on the break just like they did against Paris Saint-Germainin the quarter-final in Paris.
With history on the line, City can ill afford to leave anything in the tank tonight. If they wish to establish themselves as a true footballing power, they need to make a statement tonight.
While Ronaldo’s possible return from injury will make life difficult for City, Pellegrini’s men should be expected to improve on last week’s showing, and in the process, could secure the score draw required to progress to a maiden Champions League final.
Prediction
Real and City to draw 2-2