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They really do love a European Cup round these parts. The mosaic made by supporters in the stands is of the very trophy Real are looking to add to their collection once more.

Here come the teams into a raucous Bernabeu. One of the great grounds of European football. The perfect setting for what we all hope is another Champions League classic.

Raymondo, London

An, Harrow

Dene O

Jonathan Woodgate
Former England defender on BBC Radio 5 Live

Carlo Ancelotti is more than a nice guy, he has to be tactically astute to win five leagues in five countries. He is an outstanding manager.

Look what happened with Everton. Last year they were OK with him, now they are in a relegation battle.

He is a players’ manager, you can see how much they love him.

Madrid had won three successive semi-final ties, having been beaten in five of the previous six, before losing to Chelsea last season.

This is Madrid's 15th appearance in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals, a competition record, three more than Barcelona and Bayern.

In positive news for City, Real have never come from behind to win a European Cup semi-final after losing the first leg, home or away. They have been eliminated on all eight previous occasions.

However, they do have very recent experience of overturning a one-goal first-leg deficit at home. They lost 1-0 at PSG in the last 16, fell behind at the Bernabeu and then Karim Benzema kicked into gear to blow PSG away.

They also came back from a one-goal deficit in their quarter-final tie with Chelsea to reach this stage.

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These two have history at this stage of the Champions League.

In 2015-16, Real came out on top in a semi-final between them.

It was a much more goal-shy affair than the tie we have on our hands this season. In fact, just the one strike settled it. It came in the first leg between the pair in Spain, with the unfortunate Fernando diverting Gareth Bale's angles strike into his own net.

Real then secured a 0-0 draw in Manchester to seal their spot in the final. They would beat Madrid rivals Atletico on penalties in the final.

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• Manchester City defeated Atletico Madrid 1-0 on aggregate in this season's Champions League quarter-finals. The only club to eliminate Atletico and Real Madrid in the knockout stage of a single European campaign is Chelsea, on their way to winning the trophy last term.
• Pep Guardiola's past three eliminations from the Champions League semi-finals were at the hands of Spanish opposition (all when he was at Bayern Munich): Real Madrid in 2013-14, Barcelona in 2014-15 and Atletico Madrid in 2015-16.
• Guardiola can become the first manager to eliminate Real Madrid more than twice in the Champions League knockout phase.
• Riyad Mahrez (6) is Manchester City's leading Champions League goalscorer this season. This equals the most goals a player has netted for the club in a campaign in the competition - Sergio Aguero also scored six in 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2018/19, as did Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus in 2019-20.

Pep Guardiola says his Manchester City side will have to perform even better than in the first leg against Real Madrid if they want to qualify for successive Champions League finals.

City have the advantage after their thrilling 4-3 win in the first leg, but know the threat Real can pose after their recent comebacks against Paris St-Germain and Chelsea in the competition.

"Probably we have to be better," Guardiola said. "But, at the same time, I would like to tell you one thing: we could play much worse and win, and nobody can deny my assessment is right.

"Nobody knows. Football is unpredictable. Sometimes you get what you don't deserve; sometimes you don't get what you deserve. We have to perform incredibly well and win the game.

"I don't know what's going to happen. The selection will be to try to win the game.

"There are moments when you train really badly before the game and then put in an exceptional performance, or you train really well and the guys do badly."

Former Real Madrid centre-back Jonathan Woodgate is expecting Pep Guardiola to "go for the jugular" when he takes Manchester City to the Bernabeu in the Champions League semi-final second leg.

City are defending a one-goal advantage after last week's thriller at the Etihad, but Woodgate is not expecting them to sit back and defend their lead.

"I think Pep will go straight on to the front foot," he told BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast. "Real are without David Alaba, who is a top centre-back and a big loss for them.

"It's going to be really difficult for Real to keep a clean sheet - so Pep will go for the jugular."

Woodgate is backing City to go through but does think the atmosphere in Madrid will be exceptional.

"City are in for a really difficult game," he said. "Real Madrid never give up - we saw that last wee. But at the Bernabeu, with the fans behind them, they will be ferocious.

"The Real fans want to be entertained and they really come alive when the Champions League is on."

More from Woodgate from 2'49'00 on BBC Sounds

Kevin de Bruyne said Phil Foden is a player who can now make the difference in a tie as important as Wednesday's Champions League semi-final second leg against Real Madrid.

On how he rates the England international's progression through the City ranks, De Bruyne said: "He’s been amazing. Obviously I’ve seen him from that little boy who had massive potential.

"Whenever you come up to the first team, you are a little bit shy - and it takes a bit of time, then more playing time, to get comfortable in that situation. The last two years he has been in a very comfortable situation and you see the difference in the way he plays.

"Now he is not that young talent any more - he is one of the guys and it is a big step to make. Now everybody looks at him to make a difference - because he can.

"He’s proven that lots of times and he probably will do much, much more for this club in the future.

"He doesn’t play with ups and downs, he just does what he needs to do for the team."

Manchester City

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola on the return of Kyle Walker: "He said I'm ready. He's an important player for us."

On whether it's a risk: "There are moments of the season you have to risk, this is one of them."

Kevin de Bruyne needs to do "a big thing on a big night at the Bernabeu" if he wants to be considered in the same bracket as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, according to Spanish journalist Antonio Meana.

De Bruyne has been in outstanding form for Manchester City, domestically and in the Champions League, but, says Meana, the Bernabeu is a place where superstars are made.

"He is perhaps the best player in the Premier League, along with Mohamed Salah, at the moment," Meana told a bonus edition of BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast.

"He is so clever, so fast - but he needs a good match on a big night to sit at the same table as Messi and Ronaldo - and this will be a big night."

De Bruyne has 15 goals and 12 assists this season and scored the opening goal inside two minutes against Real Madrid at Etihad Stadium last week.

"He wants to be there with Karim Benzema and Salah in the top three in the world right now," Meana said. "But last year in [the Champions League final in] Oporto, he did nothing. In the Euros, nothing.

"If he only plays good matches against Arsenal or Everton, sure he is a good player - but not a superstar.

"The Bernabeu is a place to be a superstar."

Listen to more discussion on City's Champions League semi-final against Real on BBC Sounds

Winning the Champions League would change how people view Manchester City, says midfielder Kevin de Bruyne.

City have not won the competition despite spending more than £1bn and lifting 16 trophies since the 2008 takeover by the Abu Dhabi United Group.

"I think it would change the perspective from outside," De Bruyne said.

"We have not won it but winning it would change that little narrative."

Following their defeat by Chelsea last year, City could make their second successive final if they get past the Spanish champions.

"The fact we've been fighting for numerous years and getting to the latter stages means we've been doing really well," Belgium midfielder De Bruyne added.

"It's a cup competition and the quality is very high so it's very difficult to win it."

Anyone want to answer Jamie's question for him?

Personally, I'm apathetic to how an English team I don't support gets on in Europe. I'm just hoping for a mad game.

Jamie

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Ger Deegan, Maine Road Ramble, external

If we cast our minds back to Porto and the Champions League final last May, one picture in particular sticks in the memory. The image is of a clearly emotional and dejected Kevin de Bruyne on the Manchester City bench, after being forced off on the hour mark after a collision with Antonio Rudiger. He was sat down, nursing an icepack on his fractured eye socket. Despondent, as his side lost 1-0 to Chelsea in the biggest game of the season, the biggest of his career.

Since the beginning of this season, De Bruyne has looked like a man on a mission. He has dragged Manchester City into a brilliant position in both the Premier League and Champions League such is the level of his performances on a regular basis. He has added more goals while still maintaining the quality of his passing. He has played in a number of different positions for Pep Guardiola and is constantly the one who sets the tone with his energy in his pressing and speed in which he begins the counter-attack.

The midfielder’s qualities have never been in doubt, but this year the Belgian has undoubtedly upped gears, performing consistently like someone at the very top of their profession week in and week out. It feels different. It feels as though we are watching someone realise that this is their moment. It feels as though he understands the unfinished business of last season.

Last weekend it was announced that De Bruyne finished runner-up to Mohamed Salah of Liverpool in the Football Writers' Association player of the season voting. Not a shocking result by any stretch of the imagination as both have been a level above the rest this season. For those who have watched the Belgian closely for Manchester City, they will have noticed his performances have been almost other-worldly at times throughout this campaign and looks in himself as if he has the bit between his teeth to get this team over the line.

He is the main man at the club and everyone knows it. They know it so much that De Bruyne was rested in City’s crucial victory over Leeds on Saturday for the first time in what feels like an eternity.

He should be fresh for Wednesday night and this can only bring good omens for the Blues ahead of a monumental clash at the Bernabeu.

Mike Minay
BBC Radio Manchester

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The Santiago Bernabeu. Time, 21:00 locally. Kevin de Bruyne, should he play, will be out on one of the greatest stages in world football. It feels that the season has culminated to lead to this.

It was a season that started with frustration. An ankle injury picked up at Euro 2020, a long road to recovery, a bout of Covid, but now he's back and he's probably at the best he's ever been.

"The first months of the season were really hard," he told me at the press conference on Tuesday. "I have never experienced the pain that I had back then. I was trying to come back but was in pain with my ankle every day."

He added: "It wasn't something I enjoyed. Mentally it was hard to overcome that but once the pain was gone after a couple of months I started to feel more confident in myself and my body to get back to where I belong."

And that's true - since scoring against Leeds in December, and up to the Leeds game at the weekend, it was 15 goal involvements in 16 games for the Belgian.

"Now playing all these games week in, week out I feel back to the level that I was before," he said.

"I don't know if there is much difference from before, I just try to be as constant as I can and I think I have managed myself very well."

With that advancement throughout the season, could he be the difference tonight and really put himself in the chat of the world's best three... if he's not already?

Carlo Ancelotti said Real Madrid will need more than just character to come from behind against Manchester City in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final.

Madrid trail 4-3 after the first leg and head into Wednesday's game looking for another comeback - as they have already done against Chelsea and Paris St-Germain in the competition this season.

Ancelotti said his side will have to gamble if they are to repeat their heroics and reach a first Champions League final since 2018.

The Italian said: "If we sit deep, we won't concede 99 shots and if we get into their box they are going have a go at us but sometimes you have to take risks.

"In these games we have scored a lot. Four against PSG, five against Chelsea, three against City, so we have the quality to take risks.

"You don't get to a final only with your heart. Personality is an important part but you need individual quality, collective commitment, you need all this to reach a final, one of these things won't be enough to get to the final."

Alex Bysouth
BBC Sport

Carlo Ancelotti clinched a historic La Liga title with Real Madrid on Saturday and the Italian still has the chance to win an unprecedented fourth Champions League as a manager this season.

Ancelotti has already become the first coach to win the title in Europe's top five leagues (England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain), and if Real go all the way in the Champions League he will pull clear of Bob Paisley and Zinedine Zidane as the manager to have won Europe's elite competition the most times.

But questions over the 62-year-old's future have been raised this season, despite him having two years left on his contract, and Ancelotti has suggested he may retire when his second spell at Real Madrid comes to an end.

"After this stage at Real Madrid, it is likely that I will retire," he told Amazon Prime. "But if Real Madrid wants me to be here for another 10 years, I will be here for another 10 years."

Pep Guardiola, who will come up against the veteran boss again on Wednesday, says he is an admirer of Ancelotti and congratulated him for winning the Spanish title when they met last week.

"He has been all around the world, always did an incredible job and his football always is really good," said Guardiola.

"He knows always what he has to do and apart from that is an exceptional person. I was lucky to meet him years ago and he is a calm person who controls his emotions."

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