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Kyle Walker set to return for Manchester City against Real Madrid

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has indicated that Kyle Walker could play a role in Wednesday's Champions League clash with Real Madrid.

· Sports Mole

Walker has not played for Man City since suffering a hamstring injury while featuring for England in last month's friendly against Brazil.

As a result, Walker sat out Premier League games against Arsenal, Aston Villa and Crystal Palace, before missing the 3-3 draw in the first leg of Man City's Champions League quarter-final with Real Madrid.

The 33-year-old returned to the matchday squad for Saturday's 5-1 win against Luton Town, but he was ultimately left on the bench for the duration of the contest.

Guardiola has suggested that Walker could be involved against Real Madrid, although he is yet to decide whether Walker will start the second leg at the Etihad Stadium.

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"He feels much better but he was injured, so now we will see in the next few days," Guardiola told reporters when asked about Walker's chances of starting against Real Madrid in Saturday's post-match press conference.

"But he's good, he feels good. Maybe he can help with minutes because it's a 'final', but I don't want to lose him for a long time if he gets injured. He will train a bit more now and we will decide.

"I know how important Kyle is against the players from Real Madrid. But he was not in Madrid and Manuel Akanji, Josko Gvardiol, John Stones and Ruben Dias played incredibly well. We will see."

Guardiola will hope that he can call upon Walker's pace and experience to combat the attacking threat offered by Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior.

The England international remains a key figure in the Man City squad, having made 38 appearances across all competitions this season.

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Stones should be available

While Walker will have to be assessed, Stones should be ready to feature against Los Blancos after missing the win over Luton as a precaution.

"He had some problems, some niggles," Guardiola said. "He's fine, he's not injured, but he felt uncomfortable, and we didn't want to take risks, that's all."

Meanwhile, Ederson is expected to start the second leg after he made his first appearance in over a month in Saturday's successful Premier League outing.

With the tie currently level at three goals apiece, Man City will be hoping to make full use of home advantage and advance to the Champions League semi-finals for a fourth consecutive season.

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