5 reasons Manchester City will defeat Real Madrid

MANCHESTER, UNITED KINGDOM - APRIL 12: Man City fans show their support prior to the UEFA Champions League quarter final second leg match between Manchester City FC and Paris Saint-Germain at the Etihad Stadium on April 12, 2016 in Manchester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
MANCHESTER, UNITED KINGDOM - APRIL 12: Man City fans show their support prior to the UEFA Champions League quarter final second leg match between Manchester City FC and Paris Saint-Germain at the Etihad Stadium on April 12, 2016 in Manchester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
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FILE PHOTO – Image Numbers 513361496 (L) and 500290736 – EDITORS NOTE: A gradient has been added) In this composite image a comparison has been made between Head coach Zinedine Zidane of Real Madrid CF (L) and Manuel Pellegrini, manager of Manchester City . Manchester City FC and Real Madrid meet in the UEFA Champions League Semi Final first leg on April 26,2016 at the City of Manchester Stadium in Manchester England. The second leg takes place on May 4, 2016 in Madrid,Spain. ***LEFT IMAGE*** VALENCIA, SPAIN – MARCH 02: Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane looks on prior to the La Liga match between Levante UD and Real Madrid at Ciutat de Valencia on March 02, 2016 in Valencia, Spain. (Photo by Manuel Queimadelos Alonso/Getty Images) ***RIGHT IMAGE*** MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 07: Manuel Pellegrini, Manager of Manchester City looks on during a press conference ahead of the UEFA Champions League match against Borussia Moenchengladbach at the City Football Academy on December 7, 2015 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
FILE PHOTO – Image Numbers 513361496 (L) and 500290736 – EDITORS NOTE: A gradient has been added) In this composite image a comparison has been made between Head coach Zinedine Zidane of Real Madrid CF (L) and Manuel Pellegrini, manager of Manchester City . Manchester City FC and Real Madrid meet in the UEFA Champions League Semi Final first leg on April 26,2016 at the City of Manchester Stadium in Manchester England. The second leg takes place on May 4, 2016 in Madrid,Spain. ***LEFT IMAGE*** VALENCIA, SPAIN – MARCH 02: Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane looks on prior to the La Liga match between Levante UD and Real Madrid at Ciutat de Valencia on March 02, 2016 in Valencia, Spain. (Photo by Manuel Queimadelos Alonso/Getty Images) ***RIGHT IMAGE*** MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 07: Manuel Pellegrini, Manager of Manchester City looks on during a press conference ahead of the UEFA Champions League match against Borussia Moenchengladbach at the City Football Academy on December 7, 2015 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

Tomorrow night marks the beginning of the semi final stage of this year’s Champions League. Here, we break down a few of the reasons why we think Manchester City will pick up a crucial win over the mighty Real Madrid.

History would suggest that a Champions League tie between Real Madrid and Manchester City would yield only one result: a Madrid win. The ten-times European Champions are perhaps the biggest club in the world, and hoisted their latest Champions League trophy as recently as 2014. They are perennial contenders, and possess an aura of near invincibility in European competition. Manchester City, on the other hand, have only truly arrived on the European scene during the past decade, and have yet to make a real mark in the Champions League. Indeed, this is the first season in which they have advanced past the round of 16.

And yet, as we inch closer to Tuesday evening, the cards seem to be falling in the English club’s favour. Be it the nature of the draw, injury fortunes, or a simple case of beneficial match-ups, Pellegrini and company have every reason to believe they can dispose of the competition’s most successful club and advance to next month’s final in Milan. Here are 5 reasons City fans should expect a win in Tuesday’s semi final first leg…

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