City stalwart Fernandinho has spoken of his desire to emulate the illustrious European achievements of his Brazilian compatriots, whilst Real manager, Zinedine Zidane, has revealed he is respectful but not fearful of Pep Guardiola’s managerial talent.
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With much talk about how both sides will line-up, Gabriel Jesus has also been singled out as one man who could be crucial to City’s chances at the Bernabeu.
From the players
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Fernandinho: “I hope so this is my chance. They have won enough Champions Leagues so I hope it will be my time.
“We are going to try to do our job and give our best – and try to win the games to go through.
“This is going to be special. They are the favourites, the king of this competition because they have won it so many times.
“It’s going to be a great experience to show what level we are at. They are a special team because of how they play, the goals they score, especially in the clinical and decisive moments.
“They are such a big team, with the history, with the big players, that’s what makes them special.”
From the managers
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Zidane: “Some people can think other coaches are better but, for me, he’s the best. Obviously we’re inspired by his previous achievements, but it doesn’t scare us.
“I spent time with him at Bayern, we discussed his way of working and I learned a lot when I talked to him.
“He’s a great coach and we obviously take inspiration from what they do well. The feeling is not fear at all though, it’s the opposite.
“It was great to spend time with him, he was sincere, open, and with someone like that, you can always learn things.
“There were a lot of conversations. Right now I can’t say what we talked about, I can’t say what I took from them or used afterwards.”
Match preview
Writes Jamie Redknapp: “There is something about away games that Gabriel Jesus loves.
“Since arriving in the Premier League, he has made more starts, scored more goals and racked up more assists on the road than at the Etihad Stadium.
“Of his 17 goals in all competitions this season, 12 have come away from home. That is partly down to the Brazilian’s tremendous mobility and pace on the break.
“Those attributes proved to be Leicester’s undoing on Saturday, when Jesus came off the bench to apply the finishing touch to a quick-fire Manchester City counter-attack.
“And Jesus could be a useful weapon against Real Madrid, too.
“City can’t afford to go too gung-ho at the Bernabeu. They’ve fallen into the habit of leaving themselves with a lot to do in second legs in recent seasons after losing 3-0 at Liverpool and 1-0 at Tottenham in first legs.
“They have to make themselves difficult to beat against Real and Jesus, the away-day king, could be a useful player for any breakaways.”
