Jack Grealish starts but Julian Alvarez dropped as Man City fans name line-up vs Real Madrid

Pep Guardiola was able to rest some key players in Saturday's 2-1 win over Leeds United and Manchester City fans have backed them to return against Real Madrid.

City face Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final this evening, returning to the stadium where they were knocked out at this stage last season. Guardiola's side had a two-goal advantage going into the 90th minute, but two goals from Rodrygo and Karim Benzema's extra-time penalty dumped them out.

The Blues are still fighting for three trophies this term, while Madrid are lagging behind Barcelona at the top of La Liga and scraped past Osasuna to win the Copa del Rey at the weekend.

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Erling Haaland has bagged an incredible 51 goals since joining for £51million last summer, including 12 in eight Champions League appearances. Madrid are yet to face the Blues ace in competitive football, but Carlo Ancelotti's side know what they are in for, with supporters backing him to start in this most crucial of fixtures.

On the right, Riyad Mahrez may count himself unlucky not to retain his place, but Bernardo Silva has often been turned to in Europe and fans expect Guardiola to do the same this evening, with the increasingly important Jack Grealish starting after his rest at the weekend.

Ilkay Gundogan is expected to retain his place in Guardiola's most trusted midfield trio, alongside Kevin De Bruyne and Rodri. The latter's 46 starts this season is more than anyone else in the squad, with Gundogan and De Bruyne not far behind on 39 and 38 respectively.

Nathan Ake's absence from the travelling squad will create a fresh problem for Guardiola, with City fans backing Manuel Akanji to step in at left-back. John