Real Madrid will start its Champions League semifinal campaign in London as it takes on Manchester City in the first leg. The game takes place on Tuesday, April 26 at 2:45 p.m. ET.

Los Blancos are heavy favorites heading into this game, playing in their sixth straight Champions League semifinal. The team has only advanced once to the final in that run, winning the entire tournament in 2013-14.

The Ronaldo Factor

Of course there will be one major sticking point for Real Madrid that could turn this contest in an unexpected direction: Cristiano Ronaldo.

The superstar has been in top form in recent weeks, scoring 34 goals in his last 28 games after struggling with only 13 goals in his first 16. Since Jan. 17, Ronaldo has not gone more than one game between scoring goals; he has 22 goals in that 19-game stretch. More importantly, he has started scoring in huge moments, putting the game winner past Barcelona and then scoring a hat trick to lead Real Madrid to the semifinals of this tournament.

But Ronaldo may not get a chance to play on Tuesday as he struggled with an injury. He was left out of the team over the weekend as Madrid took on Rayo Vallecano. While he is in the squad on Tuesday, his status remains unknown.

Gareth Bale picked up his game in Ronaldo's absence, scoring twice to lead the team on a 3-goal rally after falling behind 2-0 in the early going. Bale is going to have be at his best Tuesday to help Madrid back to the final.

Will City Take Another Step?

For City, this is the first time the team ever makes the semifinal. Few expected the club to even get past Paris Saint-Germain in the quarterfinals, but timely goals and some strong performances from Joe Hart in goal made this a reality.

City likes to play in possession, but so does Madrid, making this a rather interesting situation from a gameplan standpoint. Madrid is adept at playing on the counter and may be best in this particular style against a team that struggles on defense.

The last time these teams met in the Champions League, Ronaldo scored a last minute thriller in Spain to give Madrid a 3-2 win. In the return game in the group stage, the two sides drew 1-1.

Prediction

Madrid takes the opening game by the score of 3-1. Ronaldo plays after halftime and scores a goal.

Start Time: 2:45 p.m. ET

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