Will Kyle Walker return for Real Madrid second leg?
By Hidayah Ali
The UEFA Champions League quarter-final second legs arrive this week, with all the remaining clubs set to fight for a place in this season's semi-final.
For Manchester City to do so, they'll need to overcome a 3-3 draw with Real Madrid. When the two sides met last week, it was an enthralling encounter that left viewers at the edge of their seats throughout the whole 90 minutes.
City were quick to break the deadlock, only two minutes in when Bernardo Silva tucked away a freekick. But, it didn't take too long for Madrid to get themselves a lead, as they went into halftime 2-1 up.
Phil Foden's absolute screamer of a goal made it 2-2, and then the most unlikely of goalscorers, Josko Gvardiol completely turned it around with a sensational effort.
Real Madrid did not accept defeat and equalised through Valverde in the 79th minute.
On Wednesday, the game will resume on a 3-3 aggregate, and both sides will prepare to advance after a nailbiting tie.
Many will hope to see an exciting game like the first leg, but supporters will just want their club to get the job done.
The first leg saw Man City lineup without many key names, such as Kyle Walker, Nathan Ake, Ederson and Kevin De Bruyne.
It was already assumed that Walker and Ake would not partake in this game before the squad was even announced, as Pep Guardiola had told that they wouldn't be ready in time for a game which was only a few days before the Madrid task.
While Ederson and De Bruyne didn't make the starting 11, they were on the bench, showing that while they weren't fit enough to start, they could take over if need be.
On the weekend, City played Luton Town in which they claimed a 5-1 victory, and Ake and Walker were included in the squad this time.
Ederson and De Buryne both started the game, meaning their presence on Wednesday will most likely be there, especially Ederson.
As for Walker, Pep gave an update on what his situation was and what that meant for the Real fixture, "He feels much better now, but he is injured and now we will see."
"But, it's good. If he feels good, maybe he can help us with minutes because it's a final but I don't want to lose him for a long time if he gets injured."
"We will decide. We will see what happens (during his training). I know how important Kyle is against the players from Real Madrid. But, the behaviours of Manu (Akanji), John (Stones), Ruben (Dias) and Josko (Gvardiol), they played incredibly well. We know that. We will see."
The manager hasn't given any updates since then, but likely include more information in their pre-match press conference.
But looking at the thoughts of Guardiola in that interview, it does seem as if Walker may not start on Wednesday due to the worry of increasing the injury. Understandable from the boss, but whoever is chosen for the defence, a better performance will be required for the club to qualify for the next round.
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