Real Madrid trained at the Etihad yesterday ahead of their Champions League game today.

The Los Blancos players went through a little shakeup exercise after Zidane and Varane’s press conference.

A few of Zidane’s tactics were revealed following player’s engagement in crosses and shots as a game was organized on a small pitch.

The game kicks off tonight and Madrid will be expecting an early goal to calm their nerves after suffering a 2-1 defeat at the Etihad back in February.

The two clubs have met twice at the Etihad in a Champions League games and both ended in a draw in 2012-13 and 2015-16.

Madrid enters the game without captain, Sergio Ramos who is ineligible after he was shown the exit in the first leg for pulling down Gabriel Jesus in the final moments of the 2-1 win for Pep Guardiola's side at the Bernabeu.

The talk of the week was Gareth Bale’s exclusion from the traveling squad to England. The press attributed the player’s absence to the broken relationship that exists between him and manager yet Zidane has refuted those claims.

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He spoke at yesterday’s press conference that Bale preferred not to participate in that game.

"[Bale] is a Real Madrid player, nothing has changed and I respect that," Zidane said during the pre-match press conference.

"In the end many things are said and we have a respectful relationship between coach and player.

"It is a private conversation, but I can only tell you that he preferred not to play, and the rest is between him and me."

On Sergio Aguero, the Argentine is still recuperating from his surgery in Barcelona.

“Right now, I don’t know. He is still in Barcelona,’ Pep said.

“He is getting better. I spoke with the doctors. Everything is like I thought but he is still in Barcelona. Hopefully.”