Will Kyle Walker & Nathan Ake miss out on Real Madrid fixture?

The Premier League continues this weekend, after a series of midweek clashes which saw Manchester City defeat Aston Villa 4-1.

Next up are Crystal Palace, where Man City will need to claim all three points, especially after rivals Liverpool and Arsenal found wins in their last games.

Pep Guardiola spoke in the press conference regarding the health of Ederson, Kyle Walker and Nathan Ake, with all three players still out with injuries, many wondered if they would feature against Palace, "Eddie (Ederson) is much better and maybe will be on the list. Nathan and Kyle are out."

While the boss has confirmed that Ederson could be almost ready to return to the starting 11, defenders Walker and Ake will not return just yet.

Pep also said that he doesn't know if Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland will be present on the weekend, due to the early kickoff time and the short time gap since their Aston Villa meeting, where the duo were chosen for the bench.

Pep's confusion is understandable, as though City do need to overcome Crystal Palace, risking two of his best players before such a huge Champions League game could be worrisome.

While Pep decides on that subject, the question now remains if Walker and Ake will be ready for their game in a few days against Madrid, with their injuries still looming.

While they might not just be fit for Saturday's fixture, of course, that doesn't result in assuming they won't play on Tuesday, but with only a few days to go and Guardiola saying they are out for now, it comes across as the two might not be ready for then.

While if the negative is true, Man City do have a squad full of capable names that could fill in, such as a combination of Ruben Dias, Manuel Akanji, Rico Lewis and Josko Gvardiol, which was the defence picked against Aston Villa.

But considering the level of opposition, the availability of the former two would have been beneficial, especially Kyle Walker, who is always crucial for these important matchups.

Real Madrid will probably be City's closest opponent in terms of strength and excellence, setting us up for an exciting encounter, but one Man City will still be preferred by some.

Coming up against the likes of Vinicius jr, Rodrygo and Bellingham, Pep's starting line-up will need full power to defeat the Madridstas.

With Ederson now in the squad, it looks on a positive note that the goalie could return in time, and while Stefan Ortega has done a commendable job in taking over for the Brazilian, only conceding one goal in three games, the idea of Ederson starting would be the ideal one.

For Walker and Ake, fans will have to remain patient and just focus on the Premier League fixture until Pep tells what the situation will be for the players.

Man City Square Prediction

Crystal Palace 1-3 Man City

Crystal Palace vs Manchester City is on Saturday, the 6th at 12:30 (UK)