Vincent Kompany admits Manchester City need teamwork to halt Cristiano Ronaldo

Captain knows Real winger holds the key to the Champions League semi-final

Vincent Kompany says City will reach Real's level one day

When Vincent Kompany arrived at the Etihad in August 2008, Cristiano Ronaldo was the king of Manchester having inspired United to Champions League glory in Moscow three months earlier.

Much has changed since those days, the calm before the storm of Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al Nahyan’s City takeover some 10 days after Kompany’s arrival, but Ronaldo remains the force he was eight years ago, only this time the Portuguese forward is doing his damage for Real Madrid rather than City’s neighbours.

And as City prepare to take on Real at the Etihad Stadium in Tuesday’s Champions League semi-final first-leg, it is the old enemy from across town who Kompany admits can kill the ambitions of Manuel Pellegrini’s team.

“It is one of those things, you are in a press conference, and you play against Barcelona or Real you know you are going to get a question about Ronaldo or Messi and the answer is always going to the same,” said Kompany, who has been on the whole City journey as they elvoved into one of Europe's elite clubs.

“If you play really well as a team you have a chance of stopping Ronaldo, but if not, he will probably score a goal," Kompany added. "It’s the same answer as any player gives against Real Madrid and it’s no different from this side.”

Ronaldo, who has scored 16 of his 47 goals this season in the Champions League, is expected to overcome the thigh strain which forced him out of the weekend victory against Rayo Vallecano in time to face City. But with or without Ronaldo, Real can expect a stern challenge against a City team that has grown in confidence during this season’s competition and taken the club to the semi-finals for the first time.

For Kompany, having been a central figure in the club’s rise to prominence, this fixture is long-awaited, but also the chance to go even further. “It is massive,” Kompany said. “I have been through a very long process with this team and to play a semi-final is something really good, but you want to go to the next stage. It is really good to measure yourself against a team like Real Madrid and see how far you have got.

“But it has been a long hard battle to get to this stage and as much as there is a lot riding on this game, what everyone wishes within the club is that we are just able to show how good we are and then it will be a fair game. It is the first time for the club, but we have always progressed every single year and that is one of the things I am most proud of.

“I think realistically we are not there yet, but we are on our way and everyone at the club is happy to see it is as a process and Tuesday is a great chance to measure ourselves against a great club with a lot of tradition.”

This season’s campaign will be Pellegrini’s final attempt to win the Champions League with City due to Pep Guardiola’s summer arrival as his replacement, but there is also a raft of players who could also find this is their last opportunity with the club. Yaya Toure, who is ruled out of the first leg through injury, is expected to leave, while there are also questions over several more of the club’s long-serving players. And Kompany admits that the personal ambition of players will be a motivating factor, as well as the desire to win for the club.

“We have great players in the team, of course, and when we talk about the maturity, the players are all players who can play at that level,” Kompany said. “To play against those top players, that is what you want, so I don’t think these occasions are stressful. But I want this for myself. All the players want this for themselves. You get to the semi-final, there is nothing bad for you anymore, you just want to play.

“The whole squad has been positive. It has lifted us in the Premier League and has given us something to look forward to, but if you are not hungry for this game, you never will be.”

Real’s European pedigree ensures Zinedine Zidane’s team will start the tie as favourites, which is why Kompany has urged the City supporters to turn the Etihad into a cauldron on Tuesday night. “We play against one of the greatest clubs of all time and our support will be able to make the difference,” the City captain said. “I have never seen a Manchester City team not turn up when the fans are up for it, but they have to be as loud as they have ever been. Madrid has maybe played 20 semi-finals, but for us, it is a tremendous honour to be here. We are the first to do it.

“However long it takes, the club will get to their level eventually, hopefully when I am still here.”

Manchester City (probable) (4-2-3-1): Hart; Sagna, Kompany, Mangala, Clichy; Fernandinho, Fernando; Silva, De Bruyne, Navas; Aguero