Zinedine Zidane feels Real Madrid are the favourites in their Champions League semi-final tie with Manchester City, but has warned the Premier League side should not be taken lightly.
Speaking after the two clubs were drawn together in Friday s draw in Nyon, the French coach said Madrid s struggles against Wolfsburg in the quarter-finals were behind his call for caution.
The Liga side needed a Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick in the second leg to turn things around after a 2-0 defeat in Germany in the first leg, and Zidane is adamant Madrid cannot afford to make the same mistakes.
Real Madrid are always the favourites and that s no different in the semi-final against Manchester City, Zidane said at a media conference.
But City are a great team. I do not want to hear people say Manchester City will be an easy opponent. People also said Wolfsburg were not a strong team and we saw what happened.
I see City as a strong opponent, just like Roma and Wolfsburg were difficult rivals.
The positive thing is that we play the return at home. It will be a balanced tie.
Both sides last met in the group stages in 2012-13, when Madrid scored two late goals to beat City on matchday one, while the game in Manchester finished 1-1.
The first leg of this season s encounter is scheduled to take place at the Etihad Stadium on April 26.
