Secret weapon gives Manchester City Champions League semi-final edge against Real Madrid

MANCHESTER CITY could have a secret weapon in manager Manuel Pellegrini as they try to combat the threat of Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo next week.

Posted Sunday, April 24, 2016 by Express.co.uk

Secret weapon gives Manchester City Champions League semi-final edge against Real Madrid
Manuel Pellegrini is the first manager to lead the Blues to the Champions League semi-final stage

The Portuguese superstar stands between them and a place in the Champions League Final but Pellegrini has come up against Real’s record scorer four times in the Champions League – and Ronaldo has drawn a blank on every occasion.

The City boss also boasts inside knowledge after working with Ronaldo during his solitary season as Real manager.

Pellegrini said: “We played against him four times when I was at Villarreal and he was at Manchester United and we drew every game 0-0, so my team mustn’t have defended too badly!”

But Pellegrini admitted Ronaldo has reached a new level since then. He said: “Everything that he has done there is amazing. He’s a very complete player but I hope we are going to play well against him.”