Manchester City's Manuel Pellegrini is aware that the return of Cristiano Ronaldo will only further enhance Real Madrid's chances of progressing to the Champions League final.

The Portuguese superstar missed last week's 0-0 semi-final first leg with a thigh injury but according to Zinedine Zidane, is primed to be unleashed in the return bout at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday.

Ahead of the crunch encounter between the two sides, Pellegrini expects Ronaldo to be at his peak physically but has identified that there are plenty more threats within the Real line-up than just one player.

"Cristiano has always been a different player, he scores a lot of goals, you only need to take a look at the figures he's registered at Madrid," said the Chilean.

"But Madrid isn't only about Cristiano.

"If he doesn't play then they have other options. What matters is that we perform as a team, not just against Cristiano but against Madrid as a whole."

Regarding the difficulty in telling a player like Ronaldo to rest and recover, Pellegrini added: "I'd tell Cristiano to take a break tomorrow (smiles).

"He's a great professional, I know about his physical condition and if their coach says he'll play I'm sure he'll be at 100 per cent.

"In a semi-final, only the best are going to play."