5 reasons Manchester City will defeat Real Madrid

3. The first leg is in Manchester

Now, Manchester City have hardly made their home ground into a fortress this season. They have lost 5 games at home in the league alone, and also lost to Juventus at home in the group stages of this competition back in September. Nonetheless, having the 1st leg at home in this semi final has to be seen as an advantage for the Citizens.

We’ve seen Real sweep sides away at the Bernabeu over the years, so it’s vital that City can build some sort of lead before they have to set foot on the turf in Madrid. We haven’t had the opportunity to see City hit full stride at home in the knockout phases so far, as neither Dynamo Kiev nor Paris St. Germain offered any real threat at the Etihad, and City were able to ease through both rounds. But, given the fact that this is a team that has never even made it to a Champions League semi final before, City’s loyal fanbase ought to be jumping on Tuesday night. A fast start will be essential for Pellegrini’s men, but if City can get the crowd rocking and come away from this first leg with a positive result – and ideally a clean sheet – then the pressure will be piled on Madrid for the return leg in Spain next week.

Next: Fighting on different fronts