The Madrid heavyweights have progressed in seven out of eight European ties after being held to a goalless draw in the first leg, losing only to Spartak Moscow in the 1991 European Cup quarter-finals.
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City have opened talks with Iheanacho’s handlers over a new contract after he justified his promotion to the first team at The Etihad with goals and five-star displays in his debut season in the English Premier League.
“I would do exactly the same again because we have an important game on Wednesday that we play now for the final in the Champions League”.
Manchester City wonderkid Kelechi Iheanacho believes he can take next step to greatness in the game by firing the struggling Premier League outfit past Real Madrid into the UEFA Champiosn League final.
But Pellegrini, who was frustrated Sunday’s meeting with Southampton was not moved to Friday or Saturday to give his side more time to prepare, insisted he had no choice but to make wholesale changes and protect his key players.
“But it is hard for them to take a risk because they don’t know if he will play for just five minutes and then they lose him for the rest of the season”.
He added, “It is a dream come true for me and I am happy if I go there”.
“I tried to select the team that we thought would win the game”, he said.
Pellegrini expects Yaya Toure, Vincent Kompany and Kevin De Bruyne all to be ready for the Madrid trip on Wednesday, with all three not involved at St Mary’s.
Nigeria hitman Iheanacho struck twice as City’s sole positive in a bleak south coast thumping at the hands of Ronald Koeman’s Saints, for whom Sadio Mane scored a hat-trick.
“It was a commanding performance, we were superior and we’re very pleased”, the Portuguese said. I don’t want to say he doesn’t care if they don’t get into the top four because Guardiola will have to take over but his main priority is [the Champions League]’.
His year in charge did see us fall to Barcelona in La Liga, and that was a regret, but even then, he knew it would’ve been his one and only title as Villarreal’s president Fernando Roig actually told him Florentino Perez was going to axe him.
The margin of Southampton’s lead could have been even greater, but City clawed their way back into it a minute before the break when Iheanacho reacted well to head past Forster after Samir Nasri’s low cross was deflected into the air.
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Koeman said the inconsistency was down to his youth.
