"A fantastic all-round player" - Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola heaps praise on Real Madrid superstar ahead of UCL semi-final clash

Pep Guardiola has singled out Real Madrid's Karim Benzema as the biggest threat to his side. Manchester City take on Los Blancos in the semifinals of the Champions League later this month.

Manchester City managed to edge past Atletico Madrid thanks to a Kevin De Bruyne goal in the first leg. Meanwhile, Benzema helped Madrid beat Chelsea 5-4 on aggregate by scoring four of their goals.

🇧🇷🤝🇫🇷 𝔹𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕖𝕟𝕕𝕠 𝕒 𝕤𝕦 𝕚́𝕕𝕠𝕝𝕠...

🤍🔝✅⚽ ¡@Benzema (25) 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙖 𝙡𝙖 𝙢𝙚𝙟𝙤𝙧 𝙘𝙞𝙛𝙧𝙖 𝙜𝙤𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙤𝙧𝙖 de @Ronaldo (24 en la 2003/04) con el @realmadrid en #LaLigaSantander!

#LaLigaHistory
#LaLigaAmérica https://t.co/klpsRHdVmb

While speaking to the media, Guardiola praised Benzema and claimed the striker is exceptional for what he has been doing for over a decade. He said:

"Benzema is exceptional, not only because of what he is doing now, but for what he has been doing for 10+ years at Real Madrid. He is not only a scorer, but is a fantastic all-round player. His career is phenomenal."

Karim Benzema is just 5 goals from equalling Raúl's goal record (323) for Real Madrid.

Club legend 🇫🇷 https://t.co/gNcVGFnSdo

Speaking about the semifinals following their narrow win over Atletico Madrid, Guardiola sent a warning to his players.

He added that they stood no chance against the 'kings of the competition' if they played the same way they did against Atletico in the second leg. He said:

"The kings of the competition. It was always going to be only a matter of time before it was complicated. It's our third semi-final of the competition. If we play like we did in the second half we won't have a chance.

"We'll try to play like we did in Manchester and at times in the first half here. We came here from a game with no time to prepare for this one. They [Atleti] were very good. It was very difficult. We've held on."

Real Madrid's Karim Benzema touted for Ballon d'Or 2022 ahead of Manchester City clash

Karim Benzema has been in sensational form this season and has been touted to win the Ballon d'Or.

The Frenchman has been one of the top performers domestically and in Europe in 2021-22, with his goals saving Real Madrid in almost every single game. The 34-year-old has scored 39 goals in 39 games across all competitions.

Meanwhile, Manchester City lost to Liverpool this weekend in their FA Cup semi-final clash.

The Cityzens lost 3-2 to the Reds after trailing 3-0 in the first half – leaving Guardiola waiting to get his hands on the trophy he last won in the 2018-19 season.