Fitness worries for Real

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Real Madrid stars Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema were both included in coach Zinedine Zidane's squad for their Champions League semifinal first leg at Manchester City on Tuesday despite fitness doubts.

Three-time World Player of the Year Ronaldo missed Saturday's 3-2 win at Rayo Vallecano with a minor thigh injury but is expected to start on his return to Manchester where he spent six years with Manchester United between 2003 and 2009.

Benzema is a bigger doubt after limping off with a knee injury before half-time at Rayo.

Right-back Dani Carvajal also returns after two games out as Zidane has called-up all 23 available players for the trip to the Etihad.

But the 10-time champions have already found their saviour in case Ronaldo and Benzema have not fully recovered to face City.

Gareth Bale rose to the occasion when both his strike partners were out on Saturday scoring two goals to lead a 3-2 comeback victory at Rayo that kept Madrid in the fight for the Spanish league title.

For Bale Madrid have the "psychological" advantage of playing the second leg back in Spain.

"If we get a good result in the Etihad Stadium back at the Bernabeu our fans are always going to help us" Bale said. "As long as we don't lose there we'll be very confident at the Bernabeu."

Under former Madrid manager Manuel Pellegrini City are in fine form domestically in April. Besides a draw against lowly Newcastle high-scoring wins - 3-0 over Chelsea and a 4-0 rout of Stoke on Saturday - are a reminder of City at their best.

Kevin de Bruyne has been the inspiration behind the revival as a dynamo in midfielder since returning after two months out. The Belgian was rested against Stoke in preparation for Madrid.

"Now almost everybody is back and it gives us a different feeling" De Bruyne said.

Meanwhile the match between Atletico and Bayern at Vicente Calderon Stadium promises to be an intriguing clash of styles between two of the game's most respected managers.

While Pep Guardiola has remade Bayern on the model of his attractive Barcelona sides Diego Simeone has forged Atletico into one of the best defensive teams in Europe and have them on the cusp of a second final in three years.

Atletico have already proven strong enough to suffocate Barcelona's trio of Lionel Messi Luis Suarez and Neymar in the last round.

Goalie Jan Oblak anchors a defence that has kept seven clean sheets in 10 Champions League matches in addition to 22 clean sheets in 35 rounds of the Spanish league - keeping it level on points with leader Barcelona with three matches left.

Atletico will likely be without injured centerback Diego Godin. That leaves youngsters Jose Gimenez and Lucas Hernandez to hold down its back line against Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Mueller's combined 16 goals in the competition.

"The tie against Bayern is going to be as hard or harder than the one against Barcelona" Gimenez said.

In their only prior meeting Bayern needed a replay to beat Atletico in the 1974 final for its first of five European Cups.

One win away from clinching a third Bundesliga title in as many years under Guardiola Bayern is focused on winning the Champions League to cap the Catalan manager's last season in charge before taking over at City next season.