Kyle Walker to be given every chance to prove his fitness for next week’s clash with Real Madrid

Could Manchester City captain Kyle Walker feature in next week’s UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu? Pep Guardiola informed the media that City’s right-back would likely miss the clash next week. But a recent report indicates that Manchester City will give their captain  every chance of proving his fitness for the match.

Rob Dawson has reported for ESPN that the European champions have not given up hope that Kyle Walker could play against Real Madrid. Furthermore, Dawson reports that Pep Guardiola will give Walker as much time as he needs to prove his fitness. Rob Dawson adds that the City manager believes that Walker has a key role to play in stifling Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior.

Manchester City’s captain has missed his team’s past two games against Arsenal and Aston Villa with a hamstring injury. Walker sustained the injury while playing for England in their 1-nil defeat to Brazil during the international break.

When Pep Guardiola faced the media before his team’s 4-nil win over Aston Villa, he believed Walker would miss next week’s clash with the Spanish giants. But he did add that with his genetics, there was a slim chance of Kyle Walker being available for the game. The City manager told the media: “Listen, the doctor said, ‘No’. BUT Kyle is Kyle, he has special genetics. But what the doctor said to me, it was quite serious. As I said, Kyle is Kyle.”

Given the danger posed by Vinicius Junior, the world champions will be hoping their captain can slot in at right-back at the Bernabeu. If Walker can’t play in Spain, Rob Dawson also reports that Rico Lewis is the most likely candidate to play at right-back against Real Madrid.