<h1>Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema recover to face Man City- europe football league</h1>

"We hope that they can both be fit for the second leg, that's the idea," said Real head coach Zidane. "But we can't say right now. We have to see. We have to take it day by day and see how they are.
"Cristiano felt something after that last training session. That's why he didn't play. Karim, it was a little bit different. But at the end of the day, little by little, he felt a little bit worse in himself. We don't want to gamble with his fitness. We know how important both players are for us."

Real had the better chances in a tight contest, with Benzema's replacement Jese heading against the bar in the second half and Pepe firing a close-range shot at Joe Hart.
"I am happy with the game," said Zidane. "It was not easy but in the end, we defended really well. We had the ball more in the second half and we had more chances after the break. It was a tough game but I am happy with the result.
"Before this game, it was 50:50 and now it's the same. We have the second leg at home, but it's 50:50. We are going to have to work like we did today.
"It is a Champions League semi-final so nothing is easy, but I am happy with the result and the work the players did."      europe football league

City did not have a shot on target until injury-time when Kevin De Bruyne's free-kick needed to be tipped over by Keylor Navas.
"Defensively, we played really well," said Zidane. "We know (Sergio) Aguero is a good player so we didn't give him much space. The idea was to defend together. We managed to achieve what we wanted."

Atletico Madrid draw inspiration from Leicester fairytale, says Filipe Luis

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Leicester are on the brink of completing a surreal journey from 5,000-1 no-hopers to English champions, needing just three points from three games to clinch the title.
Just as Leicester have defied the odds and left big spenders like Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United trailing in their wake, Atletico have overcome a lack of spending power compared to their Champions League rivals to reach the semis.
"Look at what is happening this year with Leicester, they are a modest team and are almost champions in the Premier League," said Luis.
"Epic things happen in football. Although there's a difference in our budgets we are the team that plays most as a team."
According to the Deloitte Money League, which ranked the world's richest football teams according to revenues for the 2014-15 season, Atletico earned 187 million euros.
Bayern Munich, Atletico's opponents in the semi-finals, earned 477m euros, while the other teams in the last four - Real Madrid and Manchester City - earned 557m euros 463.5m euros respectively.
Leicester were ranked 24th with 137 million euros and were the 12th highest English team featured in the report.
Barcelona, stunned by Atletico in the Champions League quarter-finals, received 560 million euros in 2014/15 but Luis said a 'team-first' ethic had helped Atletico level the playing field.
"We don't have a megastar, we have a team where everyone runs, everyone fights for the player next to them, and that makes us stronger," he added.
"The team thinks a lot collectively, nobody thinks individually, that's the most positive things that we have. We've had a lot of bad and good moments in the season and now we are stable, we have players who are getting better and better."

Bale returns to England as a Real Madrid success story

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In the week following Riyad Mahrez's PFA Player of the Year award, the 2013 winner returns to these shores to face Premier League opposition for the first time since his departure from Tottenham.
Gareth Bale will be in the Real Madrid team for their Champions League semi-final against Manchester City - and he is in fine form too.
Such are the extraordinary demands at Madrid that, despite scoring the winner in a Champions League final, his three seasons with the club have not been without their difficulties. And yet, Bale has directly contributed to 28 La Liga goals this season - 18 goals and 10 assists. That's the same total as Mahrez in the Premier League and he's managed it in a fraction of the game time.
Indeed, Bale's goals alone have come at a rate of one every 87 minutes this season. That's better than both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Rivals for his role in the side such as James Rodriguez and Isco have proven nowhere near as effective despite having received some very public backing.

Every season there are a cluster of younger players who make their mark on La Liga. Their longevity among the league's best thereafter is based upon consistency and the exposure provided by each individual club.

Over the past few months we have seen the emergence of several young players, who have managed to break through and become key players for top clubs. Take a look at our list below and vote on who you think has been the stand out performer this year! In his second season at Atletico Madrid following his return from Rayo Vallecano in the summer of 2014, Saul Niguez has become an integral part of manager Diego Simeone's first-team squad. At 21 years old, the defensive midfielder is no longer a peripheral figure at the Vicente Calderon and has become a key part of Atletico's successes. Niguez has taken on additional responsibility and leadership at important times over the past 12 months.

An indispensable anchorman since the early stages of the campaign, Niguez has featured in 41 matches this season in all competitions, scoring on eight occasions and providing four assists. His versatility and tactical awareness make him a crucial player for now and in the future with Madrid.

Villarreal have uncovered a talented playmaker in Denis Suarez, having taken advantage of his first-team exposure whilst on loan at Sevilla last term. Part of one of the most attractive teams in the division, the Galician midfielder produces magic on a regular basis and is a key player for the Champions League hopefuls. 

He has played 30 matches in La Liga this year, scoring four goals and supplying seven assists to his team-mates. At 22 years of age, Suarez is expected to become one of the pillars of Spanish football in the coming years. Interestingly, Barcelona have an option to repurchase the player following his 2015 exit.