"I hope Cristiano Ronaldo plays"...PEP

Josep Guardiola expressed his desire for Cristiano Ronaldo to be passed fit for tomorrow's Champions League semi-final first leg: "I hope Cristiano plays. It's a match in which we want to put on a show for the fans; people want to see the best players and there's no doubt he's one of them", the Bayern coach told reporters ahead of the clash at the Bernabéu.

Nevertheless, Guardiola believes 'Los Blancos' have several back-up options should CR7 be unavailable: "If he doesn't play, someone else with different qualities will. Isco is more about getting the ball into feet, whereas Cristiano is about bursting into space; he scores a lot more goals than Isco, but Isco gives you more fluency in your play".

"They could play 4-3-3, or with a bank of four in midfield like in the cup final… but the essence will be the same. If you let them, they have the ability to play [a possession game]. Xabi Alonso, Modric and Ramos are all good at bringing the ball out. Coentrao and Marcelo are good outlets on the flank, Benzema holds the ball up well. They could play that way or else they could stick to what Real have historically been all about", he noted.

Pep underscored Real's pace up front: "I don't know how they manage it but they always sign players who run a lot. They've got four: Di María, Bale, Cristiano and Benzema are lethal running into space. They're not easy to play against, but we'll try to attack them as effectively as possible, defend to the best of our ability and play the match on our terms".

The Catalan believes Ancelotti's side is a different proposition now compared to a few months ago: "From the little I've seen at the beginning, middle and end of the season, my impression is that they've evolved, which is a normal process as all coaches take time to get to know their squad and players and to gradually make changes".

"[But] Real are Real, with this or another coach, and even with other players. They always have something special. They are one of the most difficult opponents we could have faced in the semis. No other team has a squad like Real's", he added.