Real Madrid nerves prompt Man City decision for Champions League game

Manchester City take on Real Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday.

The reigning champions are favourites to progress, having demolished Real at home 4-0 last year in the semi-final and claimed a 3-3 draw away from home in the first leg. City were already without Kyle Walker and Nathan Ake through injury and had Kevin De Bruyne pull out hours before kick-off with sickness, yet took the lead and then bounced back from going 2-1 down to retake the lead before settling for a draw.

However, Real's pedigree in this competition means there's still plenty of work to be done and decorated manager Carlo Ancelotti has a host of tremendous talent at his disposal hungry to get revenge on the team that so brutally dumped them out last year. Here are some of the talking points ahead of the game.

ALSO READ: City vs Real Madrid is Europe's biggest rivalry and could peak next season

ALSO READ: 'It's not right' - Bernardo fires treble warning to City after weekend results

Madrid was a rather more nervous host for City than it had been for the semi-final last year, with many still hurting from the 4-0 thrashing handed out by Pep Guardiola's side. The players backed a fan campaign for everyone at the Bernabeu to create a white wall, and then the team asked for the roof to be closed to try and gain an advantage.

That nervousness has extended to Manchester for the second leg, with Ancelotti avoiding the Hyatt Regency hotel given they have suffered defeats in the past two years. Real instead checked into the Lowry, hoping that their superstitious approach pays off.

It's what fans have been waiting patiently for for months: when can Phil Foden and De Bruyne star together in the centre of midfield?