English defender set to return for Manchester City's crucial second leg clash against Real Madrid

When Manchester City plays Luton Town in the Premier League this coming Saturday, Pep Guardiola's selection of the lineup is probably going to be influenced by concerns about freshness. Even if Luton Town's visit may seem like a diversion for City among those two historic UEFA Champions League matches against Real Madrid, the match may be vital in the title run-in.

After a 3-3 draw at the Bernabeu on Tuesday, the European champions will need to defeat Real at the Etihad the following week in order to advance to the semi-finals once more. It is impossible to overstate the significance of the second leg of the quarterfinal because both teams have lifted the Champions League the past two seasons by defeating one another to take home the trophy.

However, City's roster has appeared a little disjointed lately, and Guardiola was missing four key players for the journey to the Bernabeu. Prior to last week's match against Crystal Palace, when the team defeated Aston Villa 4-1, the City manager again mentioned the necessity for "new legs."

After a demanding recent schedule that included significant playing time for Jack Grealish, Ruben Dias, Manuel Akanji, and Josko Gvardiol, Rodri has also disclosed that he will shortly be taking a break. However, which players will be available for City in the lead-up to their match against Madrid on Wednesday and ahead of their match against Luton this weekend?

Will Kyle Walker be fit for Manchester City this week?

About the specifics of Kyle Walker's pulled hamstring and his expected return date, Guardiola has been evasive. Walker remained a doubt going into the trip to Madrid and finally did not make it. He might play against Luton, but he might be back for the second leg of the Champions League.

Walker hasn't played for City after the setback, having just played 20 minutes in a 1-0 loss against Brazil at Wembley a few weeks ago before being substituted by Ezri Konsa. Walker's injury was confirmed by Guardiola in early April, and while he did not specify when Walker might come back to first team play, he was optimistic about his recuperation.