Manchester City

As expected, Manchester City bring back the big names. Skipper Vincent Kompany and star midfielder Kevin de Bruyne are among five changes from Saturday's 4-0 win against Stoke.

Full-backs Bacary Sagna and Gael Clichy, along with central midfielder Fernandinho, also return.

Yaya Toure, injured at the weekend, is among the quintet who drop out.

Image source, Opta

Cristiano Ronaldo is not even on the bench.

It's a mouth-watering semi-final in store.

How do Manchester City go about tonight's game? Play it tight for an hour and beware that away goal?

Or try and get at Real and get two or three up themselves? Is attack the best form of defence?

Image source, PA

Everyone can be an expert before the event so let's hear from you.

I want tactical plans, subtle nuances of play, who can play where? What is the secret weapon? How do they capitalise on Ronaldo not playing? Or does that just make Gareth Bale even more dangerous?

If you're feeling really flash, some hand-drawn notes or formations would be lovely.

Text us on 81111 (UK Only with a name on please) or tweet us at #bbcfootball. 

Chris Bevan
BBC Sport at Etihad Stadium

Image source, BBC Sport

Sunshine, showers, sleet and snow - it has been that kind of day in Manchester and the weather still cannot make its mind up as we approach kick-off - above the Etihad Stadium is a confusing mixture of blue sky and a very large black cloud. 

Still not sure what it will serve up during the game and the same can be said for City, at times scintillating this season but many others, sluggish.

BIG news. Cristiano Ronaldo does not start for Real Madrid.

Full team to follow.

It was 22 degrees centigrade in Madrid this afternoon. 

Marvellous.

In the space of one 10-minute spell on my way to work in Manchester it snowed, sleeted, briefly hailed and then was blindingly sunny.

Who knows what the Real players made of that...

Danny Murphy
Former Engand and Liverpool midfielder

"City definitely need to take a lead to the Bernabeu next week to give themselves a chance of winning their Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid.

"If Real were to get a draw tonight, I would fancy them heavily in the second leg. So the first game is key for City.

"Real's firepower means they will have chances in Manchester, of course, but City have match-winners too and they have to go for it while being clever and cautious at the same time.

"Yaya Toure's injury means City are likely to be without a key player and one of their main goal threats, but the form of Kevin de Bruyne means that is not as big a blow as it once would have been."

Manchester City

Manchester City make five changes from the side which hammered Stoke. Captain Vincent Kompany is back at the back. 

Man City: Hart, Sagna, Otamendi, Kompany, Clichy, Fernando, Fernandinho, Navas, De Bruyne, Silva, Aguero

Is not great...

Image source, Reuters

As ever, all eyes will be on Cristiano Ronaldo for Real tonight.

The great man has 16 goals in this season's competition – one short of his own record for a single European Cup campaign, set in 2013-14.  

But he has not been fully fit, missing the match at the weekend with a thigh injury.

The latest whispers are that HE IS NOT GOING TO START TONIGHT.

Wowsers...

Tonight is Manchester City's first European Cup semi-final, and their first semi in any European competition since losing to Chelsea in 1971.

Image source, PA

Real Madrid's European pedigree is slightly richer, of course.

The 10-times winners are in their 27th European Cup semi-final tonight, and their sixth in a row. Remarkable consistency from the men in white.

Image source, Getty Images

However, the good news for City fans is that Real have lost four of their past five. They have been knocked out at this stage by Juventus, Dortmund, Bayern Munich and Barcelona since 2011.

Their only win in that time was a 5-0 crushing of Bayern in 2014.

Image source, Getty Images

It's been a long wait for Manchester City and their fans.

Tonight, they kick-off in a European semi-final for the first time in 45 years.

Image source, PA

When City faced Chelsea in the last four of the 1971 European Cup Winners' Cup, T-Rex were number one with 'Hot Love', half a million people were about to protest against the Vietnam War in Washington D.C., Arsenal were a month away from completing the double and The Two Ronnies had just debuted on BBC One. 

Music - and comedy - may not have improved much in the generations since, but any City fan who stood on Maine Road alongside 44,000 others to see an own goal from keeper Ron Healey send Chelsea through in April 1971 would struggle to recognise the Champions League carnival on display tonight.

Image source, AP

Footballers earning a million pounds a month? The game being shown live by British Telecom? 

One English player in the team? A Welshman the most expensive player in the world?

A whole different ball game...