Champions League draw: Manchester City vs Real Madrid in semi-finals with possible Pep Guardiola final clash
City will face Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-finals while Atletico Madrid play Bayern Munich
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Your support makes all the difference.Manchester City will have to beat Real Madrid if they are to reach a first ever Champions League final after being drawn against the most successful side in the history of European football.
Having reached the semi-finals for the first time, City were drawn out of the hat first and were paired with Real Madrid, while the second match sees Atletico Madrid take on Bayern Munich.
10-time champions Real will hope to reclaim the Champions League trophy that they conceded last season to Barcelona, having won the famous La Decima in the 2013/14 final against city rivals Atletico.
Meanwhile, the draw leaves the door open to a possible dilemma for Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola. Should both City and Bayern win their respective semi-finals, the Spaniard will have to face up to the task of attempting to beat the team that he will manage next season, having already been announced as Manuel Pellegrini’s successor at the Etihad when the Chilean is sacked in the summer.
City will host the first leg against Real at the Etihad on 26 April, with the return leg set to be played on 4 May at the Santiago Bernabeu, while Atletico will host Bayern in the first leg at the Vicente Calderon on 27 April before travelling to the Allianz Arena for the second leg on 3 May.
City are very much the European novices among the Champions League heavyweights, with Pellegrini’s side never making the semis before this season. In stark contrast, Real won the tournament just two years ago when they beat Atletico in the final – who were making their first appearance in the showcase match – while Bayern last won the Champions League in 2012/13 and have reached the semi-finals for the last five seasons and the final in 2011/12 as well as their triumphant season a year later.
City have also confirmed that due to to the Champions League ties, their Premier League match against Stoke will be moved to Saturday 23 April with a 12:45pm kick-off, having originally been scheduled for a 12pm kick-off on Sunday.
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