Manchester City coach Manuel Pellegrini vowed that his team would play with no fear in their UEFA Champions League semi-final second leg against Real Madrid following a 0-0 first-leg draw.
Missing the injured Cristiano Ronaldo, Real created the better chances in Tuesday’s game, but substitute Jese saw a header hit the bar and City goalkeeper Joe Hart produced late saves to thwart Casemiro and Pepe.
City, appearing in their first semi-final, did not work visiting goalkeeper Keylor Navas until Kevin de Bruyne hit the target with a stoppage-time free-kick, but Pellegrini said that his side would show a greater cutting edge in next week’s return leg in Madrid.
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“I do not think they are favorites,” said Pellegrini, who was sacked after only one season as Real coach in 2009-2010.
“We had good results playing away against Paris Saint-Germain, against Dynamo Kiev and against Sevilla. We are not afraid to go to the Bernabeu and we will see which team plays better in that game,” he added.
Pellegrini said that his side had shown the “most intent to win the game” and that Real had arrived at the Etihad Stadium “with a result in mind.”
Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane said that his team “always go out to win,” but added that neither side had procured an outright advantage.
“We could have scored a goal, but even with scoring a goal, we would not have been sure of being in the final,” Zidane said.
“I think it is still 50-50. We have got a game at home. We know what we are capable of. Right until the death it will be the same. We are going to have to work hard,” he added.
Both teams have fitness concerns ahead of the second leg, but Zidane was upbeat about both Ronaldo, who missed out with a thigh strain, and Karim Benzema, who went off at halftime due to a knee problem.
“We hope that they can both be in the second leg,” Zidane said.
Pellegrini was more pessimistic about David Silva’s chances of gracing the Bernabeu after the Spaniard suffered a hamstring injury in a first-half challenge on Gareth Bale that earned him a booking.
“It is quite tough for him to recover in one week,” Pellegrini said. “We will have a clearer picture tomorrow.”
The City coach also expressed a measure of annoyance that his side would have a day less to recover for the return fixture due to the scheduling of their English Premier League game at Southampton on Sunday.
“Unfortunately for us, we are going to have one day’s less rest than Real Madrid [who visit Real Sociedad on Saturday],” he said. “We tried to change our game and it was impossible, so we need to play on Sunday.”
Hart was typically bullish, buoyed by two late saves that saw him thwart Casemiro and then, brilliantly, Pepe from point-blank range.
“We have set it up for a good, old-fashioned rumble at the Bernabeu,” Hart said. “We are not disappointed with the result. Bring it on.”
Bale backed the Bernabeu crowd to make their presence felt.
“We are quite happy with it,” the former Tottenham Hotspur winger said. “We are very, very strong at home. The crowd gets behind us. It is going to be a difficult game, we know that, but one we are confident about and looking forward to.”
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