Cristiano Ronaldo is not the only threat to Manchester City’s hopes of reaching their first Champions League final, according to manager Manuel Pellegrini.
Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane confirmed that the three-time Ballon d’Or winner was “100 percent fit” for Wednesday’s semifinal second leg at the Bernabeu.
Ronaldo missed the goalless draw in the first leg with a thigh strain and while Pellegrini admitted that the Portuguese forward can make a big difference on his return to the side, he insisted that he is not the only player that City have to worry about.
Pellegrini told a news conference: “Cristiano will always be a different player — he scores a lot of goals and has throughout his six years here.
“However, I don’t think Real are just Cristiano Ronaldo. We must work as a team defending and attacking. Not just against Ronaldo but against Real Madrid.
“Our motivation must be to reach a final which we’ve never done before against a great team in a beautiful stadium.
“It’s important tomorrow because it’s high pressure but we have the personality and the football to beat them.
“Everyone must trust in their team — we trust in ours and I hope we can demonstrate it in the 90 minutes.
“We are sure we will need to make a very good performance to reach the final — it would be the first time we’ve reached it.”
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