Manchester City have been handed a huge advantage by being drawn at home for the first leg of their Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid, according to the stats.
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Real Madrid will need to advance past Manchester City in the Champions League semifinals if it is to remain on course for a record 11th European title this season.
Atletico Madrid will aim to keep upsetting the odds in their Champions League semifinal against Bayern Munich, according to club spokesperson Clemente Villaverde.
A Kevin De Bruyne effort was enough to separate the two moneybags in the second leg, ensuring the Citizens reach the final four for the first time in their history. “I think they’ve been great at the Etihad, so especially playing the first game at home it means we have to get a good result, try to play well and not concede goals, because that will be key for the second leg”.
The Santiago Bernabeu outfit are now third in La Liga and already out of the Copa Del Rey, meaning that the Champions League arguably remains their last hope of success for the season.
Atletico who defeated Barca in the quarterfinal will host the first leg on April 27, before travelling to Munich a week later.
Bayern and Atletico faced each other in the 1974 European Cup final, which the Germans won 4-0 following a replay.
And Zinedine Zidane’s men can close to within one point of Barcelona when they travel across the Spanish capital to face struggling Getafe.
The semifinals are due to take place on April 26/27 and May 3/4, while the final in Milan is on May 28. “They’ve had the same coach for five years and they play with his mentality”. “The most important thing was that we didn’t win a title but in Real Madrid 75 per cent of supporters wanted me to stay”.
Villarreal are looking forward to securing at least their current fourth place, which qualifies them to the Champions League next season, when the Yellow Submarines visit Rayo Vallecano next Sunday.
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Villaverde added that he would not be against a repeat of the 2014 final, when Atletico lost out in heart breaking fashion to neighbours Real Madrid after extra time.
