Real Madrid came away from the Etihad feeling relatively pleased with the fact they had kept the margin down to a single goal against Manchester City.
The logic being that they could complete another narrative-laden comeback at the Santiago Bernabeu and would avoid making the same mistakes as they did in the first leg.
To do so however, Los Blancos will have to pull off a feat they have never achieved before. In their long and storied history, Real Madrid have never made it to the European Cup final after losing the first leg of the semi-final.
In eight attempts, they have never been successful as reported by Diario AS. The closest they came was back in 2013, when they were tied 3-3 with Bayern Munich on aggregate. The match went to penalties but Sergio Ramos’ infamous shot high into the night sky meant that Jupp Heynckes side would go on to win the tournament.
Even so, this tie has a different feel to it. With Manchester City as their opponents, Real Madrid are dealing with a team far less used to the pressure and still searching for their first success in the competition. Carlo Ancelotti will once again be hoping his side can show their winning mentality tonight.
