Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo. (Photo : Getty Images)
English Premier League giants Manchester City is set to clash with La Liga powerhouse Real Madrid at the Etihad Stadium as the semifinals of the 2015-2016 UEFA Champions League competitions gets underway on Tuesday, April 26th.
City turned back the challenge of Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain, 1-0, in the second leg of the quarterfinal meeting also at the Etihad on April 12th to win their series 3-2 on aggregate, as reported by SkySports.
Belgian sensation Kevin De Bruyne, who was acquired by the Citizens in August of last year from VfL Wolfsburg for a reported club-record fee of £55 million, provided the winning goal of the contest for Manuel Pellegrini's side at the 76th minute to gain a semifinal seat after a 2-2 draw during the first leg in Paris.
De Bruyne shot a curling strike "into the bottom corner from 20 yards" out to redeem the team from Argentine forward Sergio Agüero's penalty miss during the first half of the match.
The Manchester residents qualified in the semifinals of the Champions League for the first time in club history and will face the winningest team in the said tournament's history, Real Madrid.
Los Blancos pulled off a stunning 3-0 victory against Wolfsburg at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium also on April 12th to comeback from a mountain of a deficit after being down 2-0 in the first leg of their quarterfinals showdown with the Bundesliga club, as per BBC Sport.
No less than Cristiano Ronaldo was again the hero of the day for the Spanish capital city squad, unleashing a hat trick at the 15th, 17th, and 77th to complete what was reported to be an improbable climb to qualify in the final four of the tourney.
Real has been hitting top form in timely fashion, going on a 10-game winning streak in La Liga, including a stunning 2-1 El Clásico victory earlier this month. However, French striker Karim Benzema is questionable to play in this match after suffering an injury during their 3-2 1in over Rayo Vallecano last Saturday.
The predicted result is a 3-1 win for Real Madrid.
Manchester City starting lineup (4-2-3-1 formation): Hart; Sagna, Otamendi, Mangala, Clichy; Fernando, Fernandinho; Navas, De Bruyne, Silva; Agüero
Real Madrid starting lineup (4-3-3 formation): Navas; Carvajal, Pepe, Ramos, Marcelo; Modric, Casemiro, Kroos; Bale, Benzema, Ronaldo
