Boosted by Cristiano Ronaldo’s return and a nearly perfect home record, Real Madrid welcomes Manchester City on Wednesday with another Champions league final almost in its grasp.
Real Madrid will have Ronaldo back after he missed three straight games because of a leg injury, including the 0-0 first-leg draw in Manchester last week. The Portuguese forward leads the Champions league with 16 goals, one shy of the record he set in the 2013-14 season.
Ronaldo hurt his right leg in a Spanish league game on April 20 and hasn’t played since then. Madrid has not released any official information about the injury, prompting widespread rumors about its severity, but he participated fully in training on Monday and Tuesday and looked fit to return to action.
“Cristiano is fine, he is at 100 percent,” Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane said. “He trained and will be there tomorrow.”
Another edge for Madrid comes from Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, where it has crushed all-comers this season, winning 20 of 23 matches in all competitions. In the Champions league, it’s won all five home games by outscoring opponents 18-0.
Unable to recover in time were Karim Benzema and defensive midfielder Casemiro, who were expected to miss Wednesday’s game because of injuries.
Although City has an impressive away record of three wins and two draws in the UCl this season.