Pep Guardiola has admitted that he may not have a right-back option available for Manchester City's Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid on Tuesday. In the opening leg, the La Liga champions-elect visit the Etihad Stadium and could take advantage of the hosts' glaring flaw.Kyle Walker and John Stones are both questionable for the match due to injuries. Walker is unlikely to play after injuring his ankle in the second leg of the quarter-final against Atletico Madrid. Meanwhile, Stones, a natural centre-back who can also play on the right, was absent from Saturday's 5-1 triumph against Watford.
Guardiola may not have a single senior player with experience at right-back at his disposal, with Joao Cancelo suspended for one match after picking up a yellow card last time out at the Wanda Metropolitano. Due to concerns about his defenders, he admitted on Monday that he will have to select his team as late as matchday.Despite City's predicament before of the Real Madrid match, Guardiola has emphasized the importance of his team's defense against an undeniable threat at the Etihad Stadium. Karim Benzema has been identified by the Catalan coach as a threat who must be neutralized if he is to reach his fourth Champions League final.He said to reporters, "Today is a training session, and we'll evaluate how the players are doing. We'll decide the lineup tonight or tomorrow. I'll see how they feel after the training session. Players will undoubtedly play in positions they are unfamiliar with, but they will give it their all."In response to mounting concerns about his alternatives against Los Blancos, the City manager acknowledged that Walker and Stones are unlikely to play. "They are reservations. They haven't trained in a week to ten days, and John hasn't trained since Brighton "When asked specifically about Walker and Stones' fitness, Guardiola answered.
"We'll wait and watch how they react. We'll talk to them tomorrow and make a decision then." Nathan Ake or Oleksandr Zinchenko shifting to right-back could be an option, but they'd be up against Vinicius Jr., who is having his best season at Real so far.
He continued, " "We played not to concede in the two games against Sporting and the first game against Atletico. We couldn't have succumbed in the second leg; they were superior. We must be able to defend effectively. Benzema is a superb player who has scored a lot of goals in his career. We'll have to play solid defense and create scoring opportunities."
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