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Manchester City after dropping points against Arsenal on Sunday. They will next be facing Aston Villa at home on Wednesday and then travelling to Selhurst Park Stadium to face Crystal Palace on Saturday. Then the defending champions will be facing Real Madrid in the all-important quarter-final clash in the UEFA Champions League. Pep Guardiola expressed his displeasure over the tight fixture. City are currently three points behind league leaders Liverpool and however, they have made a habit of making a comeback towards the end of the season and winning some clutch games.
City defeated Los Blancos in the semi-final last season. Guardiola's side smashed the 14-time UCL Champions 4-0 in the 2nd leg of the toughest tournament. They will similarly look to do the same in the upcoming week. Though the side will miss their star full-back Kyle Walker who already missed the game against the Gunners, after he suffered a hamstring injury during England’s 1-0 friendly loss to Brazil.
The 53-year-old manager was asked about the availability of the full-back for the game against Madrid. He said that the club doctor had ruled the City captain out of the match against the Spanish Giants. It will be a big blow for the side as last time he was the one who had a battle with the star winger Vinicius Junior and successfully neutralized the Brazilian star last season with his pace and skills.
Who will replace Walker?
Walker's absence gives Manuel Akanji or Rico Lewis the opportunity to show their ability at the position. While the loss of the Englishman is a big setback for the champions, they appear to have covered at the right-back position, especially for the UCL game. City needs to find a solution as their star striker Erling Haaland has not scored in the last three games for the club across all competitions.
The form has been a concern for the coach, as he lashed out at the players openly after the game led to criticism from the fans and various other football pundits. Guardiola gave a cheeky reply to the media after being asked about the Haaland vs Gabriel issue.