How Manchester City can beat Real Madrid: Test Cristiano Ronaldo's fitness and temper while letting Jesus Navas attack Marcelo

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They may be the 10-time European Cup winners and they may have the two most expensive players in history but Manuel Pellegrini will know that Real Madrid have weaknesses to be exposed.

Ahead of Wednesday night's Champions League semi-final second leg, those weaknesses have come even more to light with their injury concerns ahead of the deadlocked fixture.

Here, Sportsmail focuses in on the Achilles heels, not to mention the dodgy hamstrings, that Manchester City can look to exploit at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to return for Real Madrid on Wednesday night against Manchester City

In Ronaldo and Gareth Bale, Real boast the world's two most expensive players of all time in their ranks

But Manuel Pellegrini will know there are weaknesses to exploit as he hunts a Champions League final place

Who is definitely out and why will they be missed?

Casemiro will be missing from midfield. He plays the Sergio Busquets role and while he is not a patch on his counterpart across the Clasico divide he is the only specialist in this position that Real have.

Toni Kroos will play in his place but he is not happy in the role and if City can put pressure on him they could prosper.

The other big loss is Karim Benzema. He is the glue that sticks Real Madrid's BBC front line together. He is the one that plays the little continuity pass in those lightning breaks that helps sweep the team from one end of the pitch to the other.

On Wednesday, Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo will take turns to play through the middle and drop back into midfield to receive the ball. Neither do it as well.

Both want to be on the shoulder of the last defender and lack Benzema's sublime touch and vision. The Frenchman's absence can only help City.

Injured striker Karim Benzema is the glue that sticks Real Madrid's BBC front line, but he will be missing

So their front three is ruined without him?

Not quite. In 24-year-old Lucas Vazquez they have unearthed a real gem. Think Pedro circa 2010.

He runs forever, makes and scores key goals. Like Bale and Ronaldo he devours space and as in the first leg denying Madrid that room will be key for Pellegrini's side.

For a while last season teams sat deep against Real Madrid and Bale and Ronaldo had a reduced impact, playing in reduced areas crowded out by opposition defences.

Lucas Vazquez runs forever, makes and scores key goals and City will look to starve him of space

How to handle a recently-hamstrung Ronaldo

His injury is a mystery. If he had a tear in the vastus lateralis muscle next to the hamstring it seems unlikely it has healed sufficiently for him to be, as Zinedine Zidane claims, '100 per cent'.

And of course Zidane also said he was 100 per cent fit ahead of the first leg. Ronaldo did say that if that game had been a final he would have risked it and Wednesday certainly feels like a final.

It is even enough for City to maybe play a slightly higher defensive line and see how he sprints.

The danger there of course is that if the defence pushes up it could be Bale who takes advantage.

As ever there is also some mileage in frustrating Ronaldo.

He has kicked out at a rival defender several times this season including twice in January against Real Betis defender Molinero and Sporting Gijon midfielder Nacho Cases.

City could play a slightly higher defensive line to test out Ronaldo's legs following his recent injury issues

Getting Jesus Navas in behind Marcelo

The Brazilian left back has not finished the season well. And even when in his best form he is beatable defensively.

Navas remains as quick as anyone in Europe and if City can send him in behind Marcelo then it all comes down to how well the former Sevilla man can cross the ball.

Jesus Navas may get some joy by attacking down the right wing with Marcelo beatable defensively

Kevin De Bruyne and Sergio Aguero in unison

How close were Fernando Torres and Antoine Griezmann on Tuesday night when they broke away to score Atletico Madrid's all-important away goal? They were practically holding hands on the half way line and so they could play that quick one-two which sent the Frenchman clear to score.

If City are backs-to-the-wall on Wednesday then it will be important for their two most talented players to operate as a team. They have the guile to get the better of Sergio Ramos and Pepe.

City will hope that Sergio Aguero and Kevin De Bruyne can fire them through to the final in Milan this month

Release the Beast one last time!

He is not the force of nature he once was but all the same Yaya Toure has won 6-2 in a Barcelona shirt at this stadium before. If he could just find, from somewhere, one last mammoth performance might be enough to put City in the final. 

Yaya Toure might not be the same force he was, but one last big performance for City would go down well