Walker has not played since the end of the international break (Picture: Getty)
Pep Guardiola hopes to have Kyle Walker and Nathan Ake fit to start for Manchester City against Real Madrid in their Champions League showdown.
The European giants fought out a thrilling 3-3 draw in the first leg of their quarter-final clash last week and will settle matters back in Manchester on Wednesday night.
City skipper Walker has missed his side’s last five games after suffering a hamstring injury while on England duty during last month’s international break.
His speed and presence was missed at the Bernabeu but the 33-year-old has returned to training, featuring as an unused substitute against Luton Town on Saturday.
Nathan Ake was also among the subs that afternoon having missed the last three games with a calf problem suffered in the draw with Arsenal.
Guardiola will wait until after City’s last training session before making a final call on the defensive duo but says but are ‘feeling good’ and ready to provide a huge boost to the defending champions’ options at the back.
‘I am going to wait and see the training and in the last one or two training sessions see how he looks,’ Guardiola told a press conference.
Ake was back on the bench at the weekend (Picture: Getty)
‘But he looks good, his face, his mood. I don’t know from the bench, from the beginning [of the match] if he will be with us tomorrow.
‘But that’s incredibly good news. We have the final training at 4 and then we will decide.
Hoping Walker can start and keep Vinicus Jr quiet in what could be another compelling duel between the two, Guardiola added: ’Physically it is massively important. Everyone knows these attributes Kyle has.
More Trending
‘He was not in the Bernabeu and all the guys were exceptional But we had a big, big problem, Nathan wasn’t there, Josko [Gvardiol] was last minute, Kyle was not there. We had big, big problems.
‘But today we arrive in a better position. It is important for Kyle and Nathan being on the bench [at the weekend] and trained yesterday.
‘To be back and they trained yesterday and feel good. And that is good news.’