Manchester City have confirmed that Raheem Sterling is ‘in contention to start’ against Real Madrid after making a full recovery from a hamstring injury that he picked up in City’s 2-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur (February 2).
The 25-year-old returned to training ahead of the Sky Blues’ 1-0 win over Leicester City (February 22) and Pep Guardiola said earlier in the week that Sterling could be available for selection on Wednesday. He was in the squad that travelled to Madrid and will hope to play a part against Real.
Sterling has made 35 appearances in all competitions this season, scoring and creating 26 goals. He’s also City’s top scorer in the Champions League this season (5), miles ahead of Riyad Mahrez (1) and Bernard Silva (0), but whether he’s fit enough to start in such an important game remains to be seen.
While a difficult task to get a result at the Santiago Bernabeu, City face Real at a good time – the Spaniards have failed to win three of their last four games. Guardiola’s men are coming off the back of consecutive victories and have won eight of their last 10 in all competitions.