Pep Guardiola’s men came out on top in a thrilling encounter at the Etihad Stadium, meaning we currently lead 4-3 on aggregate ahead of Wednesday’s tie against Los Blancos.
Should we get the better of the newly-crowned Spanish La Liga champions, then we will have reached successive Champions League finals with a clash against either Liverpool or Villarreal on the cards.
With the 13-time winners having beaten Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea en route to the last four, Gundogan says he and his teammates are under no illusions about the challenge ahead of them.
However, he insists City go into the tie with a spring in our step and wanting to build on what we achieved in Europe last season.
“We are going to play away and we are going to play in a great stadium against a great team,” he explained.
“They are one of the greatest teams in history so you can feel how much of a challenge it is.
“For us, it is the second time in a row that we are in the semi-final of the Champions League. It is huge for us and for the club, but I feel like there is still a long way to go and we want to get to the final again like last year.
“We want to make it better than last year, so we are going to be prepared for next Wednesday, we are full of confidence, and it is going to be a great game, I am sure.”
With City also in hot pursuit of back-to-back Premier League titles, Gundogan has also stressed that we must be the ‘best possible version’ of ourselves to make those ambitions a reality.
Indeed, the German international is under no illusions about the importance of the entire squad remaining in top condition between now and the end of the season as the games continue to come thick and fast.
He declared: “We have to [be in great shape].
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“If you want to compete in these kinds of stages, you need to take care of yourself and you need to be the best possible version of yourself. Not just individually, but also as a team.
“(Against Leeds) we changed the team a little bit and we had quite a few players come in that didn’t play against Madrid in the week.
“Obviously, it is important for everyone to be ready for this game and that is going to help us to maintain that level.”
