Champions League: Manchester City draw Real Madrid in the semi-finals

Manchester City will play Real Madrid in the last four of the Champions League, meaning they could face incoming boss Pep Guardiola's Bayern Munich in the final

 

The Champions League trophy 

Real Madrid have been paired with Manchester City in the Champions League semi-finals, while Bayern Munich will face Atletico Madrid.

Friday's draw in Nyon means outgoing City manager Manuel Pellegrini will have a chance to get one over his former team, having coached Madrid in 2009-10. 

Madrid - who saw off Wolfsburg in the quarter-finals - lost to Juventus in the 2014-15 semi-finals. They won the competition in 2013-14, beating cross-city rivals Atletico 4-1 after extra-time for their 10th European Cup triumph.

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City, meanwhile, are the rookies in the semi-finals, having never made it to this stage before. They failed to advance past the round of 16 in 2013-14 and 2014-15, but accounted for Dynamo Kyiv and Paris Saint-Germain on the way to the semi-finals this season.

Madrid and City have met twice before, with the Spanish side winning once and other game ending in a draw.

The tie between Bayern and Atleti will see Pep Guardiola return to his native Spain, having enjoyed so much success at Barcelona before his move to the Bundesliga champions.

Guardiola's side eliminated Benfica on their way to the semi-finals, holding out for a 2-2 draw in the second leg in Lisbon after a 1-0 win at home in the first leg. They won the competition in 2012-13, when they beat Borussia Dortmund 2-1 in the final, but have failed to get past the last four since then.

[MADRID THE FAVOURITES - CITY DIRECTOR OF FOOTBALL]

Atleti, meanwhile, ousted last year's winners Barcelona 3-2 on aggregate to make it to the semis. They exited in the quarter-finals last term, losing to Madrid, and have yet to win the Champions League.

Bayern and Atleti's only previous meeting came in the 1974 final, the Bundesliga side running out 4-0 winners in a replay following an initial 1-1 draw. 

The first legs of the semi-finals will take place on April 26 and 27, with the returns scheduled for May 3 and 

4. City and Atletico will play the first legs at home. 

Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini managed opponents Real Madrid in 2009-10. Of his former squad, 

Pepe, Sergio Ramos, Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Marcelo are still there.

Fate seems to be City's side too. English teams have won the competition ahead of the last two European Championships, 2008 it was Manchester United and in 2012 it was Chelsea.

An added bonus for the winners of the Man City v Real clash will be they will be 'home' team for the May 28 final in Milan, meaning they also have choice of kit as well as the best dressing room.

CREDIT TO :https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/champions-league--manchester-city-draw-real-madrid-in-the-semi-finals-094810425.html?cmp=ukfb