Valeria Paz, our Real Madrid fan reporter, can’t wait for her trip to the Bernabéu – but is nervous regarding a certain Norwegian

As a Madridista, I can feel the excitement in the air as we gear up to face Manchester City in the Champions League semi-finals. But this time the magnitude of this great challenge brings with it a sense of uneasiness. And that’s because Manchester City have arguably the most prolific forward in the world this season, in one Erling Haaland.

Although it's scary to admit, I know that Haaland is more than capable of bagging goals at the Santiago Bernabéu like he usually does. His remarkable speed, strength and skill will be very difficult to deal with and his goalscoring exploits speak for themselves. I’m really happy that I’ll be in the stadium for the first leg, but the last thing I want is for him to find his free-scoring form against us. I fear that our team are his next victim.

It's really easy to get carried away with excitement and anticipation, but we must not underestimate our opponents. We will need to be at our very best if we are to progress to the final in Istanbul, but knowing that our players are used to stepping up in big games does comfort me a little.

This first leg will be a huge test of our team's character and resilience. I expect an intense match but I believe that Real Madrid have what it takes to come out on top. No matter how anxious, I will be supporting my team every step of the way – and I am hopeful that we can rise to the challenge and emerge with a positive result.