UCL: Guardiola expecting Walker back for Man City's second leg against Real Madrid

Manchester City leads 4-3 against Real Madrid in UCL 2021-22 semis first leg. Meanwhile, for the second leg, City manager Pep Guardiola is expecting Kyle Walker back.

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Reigning English champion Manchester City will be under pressure when it heads into the second leg of the 2021-22 UEFA Champions League (UCL) semis against Real Madrid. It will be played at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid on Wednesday, while the visitors lead 4-3 from the first leg. Meanwhile, City head coach Pep Guardiola expects defender Kyle Walker back for this game.

Walker missed out on the opening leg due to an injury. However, he has begun to train and will travel with the side. Also, fellow defender Joao Cancelo, who missed the first leg due to suspension is expected to be back. However, John Stones continues to recover from his injury and is not in line to play in Madrid.

"Walker trained, he'll travel, and we will decide tomorrow. Happy he's back. He tries to be in contention tomorrow. Joao is not out. He's doing good. Kyle? We'll see how he feels after he wakes up. [John] Stones will not travel. He is not ready," Guardiola confirmed on Tuesday night.

Madrid recently retained its La Liga crown for the record-extending 34th time. Speaking on the same, Guardiola reckoned, "Congratulations to him [Carlo Ancelotti] for winning the Spanish league. I did it [with Barcelona]. he did it last week. I admire him. He's been all over the world, coaching fantastic teams. It's always incredibly tough. The football is really good. Part of that is he's an exceptional person. I met him years ago, and every time I meet him, he's calm and controls his emotions perfectly."

Guardiola concluded by commenting on if he would rotate his player, saying, "I don't know what's going to happen. The selection is to try to win the game. There are moments you train really bad before the game and put on an exceptional performance or train really well and do bad. There are teams against which we did well, and [there are] things we have to improve."