Cristiano Ronaldo appears to be a major doubt for the second leg against Manchester City

Knowing what the ever-so-unreliable Spanish sport media can be like, we'd advise that anyone reading this takes it with a generous pinch of salt.

After Cristiano Ronaldo didn't feature in Real Madrid's visit to Manchester City on Tuesday, Spanish radio is now reporting that the 31-year-old is a major doubt for the second leg. According to the reports, Ronaldo's injury is worse than initially feared, and is said to be a tear rather than a strain. With the loss of Ronaldo blunting Real's attacking threat in the Etihad, the news that he is potentially out of the return game as well is significant boost for City. It also appears the Spanish giants will also be without striker Karim Benzema in the Bernabeu. The Frenchman was considered a doubt for the game in Manchester and was forced to withdraw at half-time with a hamstring problem. There may be a good few days for Ronaldo and Benzema to recuperate, but the signs so far are that Vincent Kompany and his City defenders may have a slightly easier task ahead of them.