It has been reported whether Manchester City right-back Kyle Walker will be fit to face Real Madrid in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-final.
Ahead of the 3-3 draw between arguably the two favourites to win the competition, Pep Guardiola had confirmed that the Englishman had been ruled out due to his hamstring injury.
Judging by the result, one would assume that City did not feel the £50 million man’s absence during the contest.
However, that was far from the truth.
On a night when Manchester City ceded possession and gifted Real Madrid the chance to hit them on the break, Kyle Walker was missed.
One could argue that for Rodrygo’s goal, perhaps Walker could have simply have caught up to him much quicker than Akanji did and eliminated the chance of any danger.
In addition, the Englishman’s presence could have allowed the visitors to dominate proceedings much more at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Report shares if City defender Walker will be fit to face Real Madrid
Playing a defensive line as high as Guardiola did against the Spanish giants without Walker exposed them to transitions.
But the 33-year-old’s incredible recovery pace would have allowed City’s attackers to take more risks in possession, as they would be aware that their reliable defender would bail them out if they lost the ball.
However, with the club captain unavailable, Manchester City were seemingly forced into trying to up the ante before realising that if they threw the kitchen sink at the game, they could lose the tie in the first leg.
Now, the question is whether Walker will be ready to start in the second leg.
Unfortunately for Manchester City fans around the world, the Daily Star has revealed that Kyle Walker is not expected to be fit in time to start against Real Madrid.
Furthermore, Pep Guardiola is privately “desperate” for the five-time Premier League winner to return to full fitness for the clash.
As a result, Guardiola will give Walker as much time as he needs to prove whether he can start against Los Blancos.
That would be a blow for Pep Guardiola
If Kyle Walker is unable to showcase that he can start against Real Madrid, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has every reason to be gutted.
After the first leg, Rodrygo revealed that City did not expect him to play on the left wing instead of Vinicius Junior.
The best candidate to deal with this tactic or if the latter does play in his natural position at the Etihad Stadium would be Kyle Walker.
As Vinicius Junior said in March, the former Tottenham Hotspur speedster is the best defender he has faced in his career.
For a player of his experience, especially against Real Madrid to potentially be unavailable would be a blow for Guardiola.