Champions League semifinal preview: Real Madrid, Chelsea, Manchester City and Paris St-Germain managers speak ahead of the big matches
Pep Guardiola dismisses statistics while Zinedine Zidane gives injury updates
Champions League first leg semifinals will be underway tonight as Real Madrid gets ready to face Chelsea, ahead of PSG and Man City’s showdown tomorrow night (11pm local time for all matches).
While skipper Sergio Ramos is expected to miss the first leg, Real boss Zinedine Zindane is hopeful that he will be back for the second leg on May 5.
Meanwhile, Ferland Mendy and Toni Kroos are already on the mend.
"The intention is that Mendy and Kroos return [against Chelsea] but we have to see," Zidane said. "We have to recover as Tuesday is going to be the most difficult of the season."
Meanwhile, Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel is thinking further ahead than the semifinals and has hit out at Uefa for the new Champions League format.
"I'm not sure if I like it because I can only see more games out of it. In the schedule that we have, it's very hard for me to be excited at all,” said Tuchel.
“All these discussions about the Super League made us forget that we have a new format of Champions League very soon. Did they ask any coach about this? I don't think so. They did not ask me. Did they ask any player about it? I don't think so,” he added.
PSG boss Mauricio Pochettino meanwhile said the clash with Manchester City will not be a personal one. Neither PSG nor Man City have ever won the Champions League.
“It’s not a personal battle, it’s not a personal game. It’s a battle between two very good teams,” he said.
“When you talk about Pep Guardiola you are talking about one of the best coaches in the world, if not the best. I admire Pep not only for the titles but the legacy that he is building in football.
“I love being involved in football and trying to learn, to compete and win, but it is a game between two big clubs. It’s not going to be an easy game for either side,” he added.
City boss Pep Guardiola is meanwhile not concerning himself with statistics ahead of the big game.
“Bayern lost with 50 shots on target, PSG had four or five and won. Football is unpredictable. You can have better chances or statistics and lose.
“We try to win knowing sometimes football is unpredictable. The important thing in Bayern vs PSG is both teams attacked. We have to be cautious in some departments, or maybe not.
“The football sometimes dictates the strategy more than the manager wants to do,” he said.