A repeat of the 2014 Champions League final between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid is still possible after Friday’s semi-final draw.
UEFA CL semi-final against Man City will be very difficult - Zidane
Real, who won that game 4-1 after extra-time, will play first-time semi-finalists Manchester City.
For Real Madrid’s coach Zinedine Zidane the matches against Manuel Pellegrini’s team will be very difficult.
“It is a semi-final anyway. It will be a very difficult match. The only positive thing, is that we will play the second leg at home and that will always be positive. It is a complicated match and I am sure it will be a total dispute.
“We saw how we lost 2-0 in the first leg of the quarter-finals, a match that seemed to be easy. So I don’t want to hear that. We know that, in order to continue we have to play well against all teams,” he stressed.
Real Madrid are favourites against difficult Man City – Zidane https://t.co/XX0t6mwGwU via todayng pic.twitter.com/sGFH9CkIbd
— Nigeria Newsdesk (NigeriaNewsdesk) April 15, 2016
Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini says being drawn against his former employers Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-final does not give him any extra motivation in the tie.
“Well it’s a difficult draw. It didn’t matter which of the three teams we had to play, the three were all difficult. I think that the options to continue is the same for all the teams and we expect to do good games against a big team,” Pellegrini told reporters, adding “It’s not an extra motivation. I think always the more motivation is to play the semi-final of the Champions League.”
Real, record 10-times champions, are unbeaten in their last eight games against English clubs. Their only previous tie against City came in 2012 when the Spanish side won 3-2 at home before drawing 1-1 in Manchester.
The first leg will take place in Manchester on April 26 , with the return leg in Spain’s capital on May 4 .