Hi All,
Madrid fan here.
I think both Real and City got the draw they wanted.
City is a strong team but I'm surprised by how everyone is underrating Madrid.
We won't be overconfident because memories of Juventus in 2015 will still be fresh.
City is not an unknown team as scouts can watch reel after reel of City's performances this year.
While our defense is susceptible to quick transitions from midfield to attack, only 3 teams have conceded less than us in La Liga (same as City).
It'll all boil down to whether Aguero+Silva+Bruyne+Sterling can outperform Ronaldo+Benzema+Bale.
Also, I like Pelligrini and felt he was harshly treated by Madrid.
However, he has a loser mentality in big games. He was never proactive in making changes when things didn't go according to plan.
At Madrid he always played a laborious 4-2-2-2 and it was Ronaldo who saved him when the going got tough.
A quick glance of this forum indicates that he has not changed.
Zidane is the opposite. He immediately changed 4-2-3-1 to 4-3-3 and refuses to start the club favorites: Isco and James.
He showed that he has a spine by bringing in a traditional defensive midfielder in Caseimiro at the cost of an attacking midfielder.
He also rotates his squad well ... something which will be telling towards the end of the season.