Manchester City have named their starting XI for Wednesday’s Champions League semi-final second-leg match against Real Madrid, with Riyad Mahrez handed a starter’s role.
The Algeria international played the entire match and supplied an assist as the Citizens recorded a hard-fought 4-3 triumph in the first-leg clash played at the Etihad Stadium.
That was Mahrez’s 11th game in the competition this season with six goals to his credit for Pep Guardiola’s side.
This time, manager Guardiola has started the former Leicester City star and he is expected to start in the attack alongside Phil Foden and Gabriel Jesus at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.
Meanwhile, France international of Senegalese descent Ferland Mendy will start in the Los Blancos’ backline that boasts of Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao and Nacho, with French star of Angolan background Eduardo Camavinga among the named substitutes.
Mahrez was tagged as ‘stingy and wasteful' by GOAL fans after missing a golden chance in the first leg against Carlos Ancelotti's side.
City could have stretched their lead to 3-0, but the Algerian, after being set up following a counter-attack; chose to go for goal himself rather than squaring for a tap in, with Kevin De Bruyne and Foden to his left for support.
In a recent interview, retired full-back Micah Richards felt the 31-year-old would have as many goals as Liverpool's Mohamed Salah if he kept things simple in front of goal.
"I don't find Mahrez frustrating because I feel he lacks quality, I just think he's got even more to offer," the former England international wrote in a column for BBC Sport.
"He will do something ridiculous like bring the ball down with an immaculate first touch, go past three players… and then waste it all by trying to do too much in front of goal, and the opportunity is gone.
"If Mahrez did the simple things in those areas, he would have Mohamed Salah's stats and be scoring 40 goals a season."
The winners of this cracker on aggregate will face Premier League side, Liverpool, in the final billed for the Stade de France, Saint-Denis on May 28.