As Walker & Ake miss out on Real Madrid test, another injury worry arises
By Hidayah Ali
Pep Guardiola has a big task ahead of him as Manchester City meet Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals.
The two clubs are set to meet for the third season in a row, the first two had two very different outcomes for City; the first ended in late-minute heartbreak which deprived them of the final, while last season's semi-final ended 5-1 on aggregate for the Cityzens, taking them into the final which they won.
Now, the sides meet but this time in the quarter-final, in a tie in which everyone can expect drama, excitement and the unpredictable.
It was confirmed on Monday that Kyle Walker and Nathan Ake, whom there were already concerns for, were not included in the official squad due to injuries.
Ederson, who had become unavailable since City's 1-1 encounter with Liverpool, has returned from injury and is in the selected squad, but Pep did insist that he didn't know if Ederson would start on Tuesday or if Stefan Ortega would be chosen instead.
But now, another worry has arisen regarding the Croatian defender Josko Gvardiol, who was taken off at halftime against Crystal Palace.
In the press conference, Pep told "He travelled but he is a doubt."
Despite being included in the squad, it looks like Gvardiol may not start against Real Madrid, which is now another bump in the road regarding the defence.
"Kyle unfortunately in a friendly game was injured. We would love to have him but what can I say? Injuries are part of a long season but unfortunately in a decisive part of the season we have a number of injuries in the same area and we have to find a solution."
Guardiola emphasised the fact Walker was injured during the international break, during which he played a friendly for England, and the manager did express his worry that some of his key players may not return fit to play when the break occurred.
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Such a crucial point in the season, of course, it's disappointing to have a vital player miss out on the important fixtures due to a friendly.
But, despite these setbacks, Pep will have to find a solution and fortunately, he contains a squad filled with many talented and capable players to take over.
Predicted line-up:
Ortega,
Lewis, Dias, Stones, Akanji,
Rodri, Silva,
Doku, Foden, De Bruyne,
Haaland