Kompany and Mangala Should Start Manchester City's Semi-Final with Real Madrid

Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany could return to the starting lineup for the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid on Tuesday evening.

The Belgian defender was rested for the Blues’ win over Stoke City at the weekend and wasn’t even named in the 18-man squad.

Manager Manuel Pellegrini said it would have been a “risk” to play Kompany against Stoke but confirmed he is fully fit and remains available for selection.

“Vincent is OK, he worked this morning,” said the City boss after the 4-0 win over Mark Hughes’ side.

“It was a risk to play two games in 72 hours. If he had played today, he could maybe have had problems for Tuesday. It was better for him not to take a risk.”

Kompany’s involvement feels key for the European encounter against the La Liga giants.

Although he has been sidelined on four separate occasions this season, each time with a calf problem, he remains the best defender at the club by some distance.

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Eliaquim Mangala has been in excellent form over the past month and deserves the praise he’s received; with his display in the second leg of City’s Champions League quarter-final win over Paris Saint-Germain perhaps his standout performance.

He appears to finally be fulfilling his obvious potential. He’s blessed with pace, strength and athleticism—perfect attributes for a centre-half. Unfortunately, though, his concentration has too often undermined his natural attributes.

His ability to read the game is improving drastically, and the City fans are finally seeing a player who looks capable of providing consistent defensive quality.

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Whether his run of form has come too late to save his City career remains to be seen, but right now, he looks set to be a key player for the remainder of the campaign.

However, Nicolas Otamendi, signed from Valencia in the summer for £28.5 million, continues to undo much of his good work with moments of rashness and overexuberance.

Clearly, he brings some quality to the table. He is aggressive and determined, committed and full-blooded. When everything has clicked this season, he's looked absolutely superb, capable of dominating strikers and not giving them a moment to settle.

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The Argentinian's tendency to go to ground, though, has proved hugely problematic, often leaving City exposed to danger in behind. There has also been too many moments of stupidity that have seen him dispossessed too easily, either through his desire to try to take the ball into midfield at pace or through a lack of concentration in possession.

Kompany's injury woes mean he hasn't found his best form since the opening weeks of the season where he was superb—but even in that context, he's the most reliable centre-back option City have.

Resting him for the game with Stoke proved a masterstroke from Pellegrini, whose side easily pocketed three points while resting a number of key players.

Zinedine Zidane will bring one of the most complete set of attacking players in the world to the Etihad Stadium, and City will need Kompany's leadership and defensive quality if they want to shut Real Madrid's stars out.

Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report's lead Manchester City correspondent and will be following the club from a Manchester base throughout the 2015/16 season. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @RobPollard.