Pep Guardiola says Manchester City need to control Jude Bellingham when they face Real Madrid in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals on Wednesday night.
The first leg ended in an entertaining 3-3 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu leaving the return leg at the Etihad Stadium wide open.
Bellingham has four goals and as many assists in the Champions League this season and Guardiola praised the 20-year-old for his mentality.
“It is not always easy to settle quick but from the beginning his impact was huge in terms of goals and many other things,” Guardiola said of Bellingham ahead of the game.
“At his age, he feels pressure without a problem. I think he has a good mentality and is an exceptional player. We have to control him and take a look at what he does.”
Guardiola also confirmed that Kyle Walker will be in the squad. The former Tottenham Hotspur player has been out of action with a hamstring injury since the end of March when he was on international duty with England.
“I am going to see at training. He has had one or two training sessions. He feels good with his mood. I don’t know if from the beginning, or from the bench, but he will be with us tomorrow,” the Spaniard explained.
“It is incredible good news for many reasons. Today we train again so we will see. He is our captain and in last year’s matches played against players like Vinicius, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe and he knows how to defend them like nobody.”
City will hope to scale past Madrid for the second consecutive season after doing so in the semi-final last term.
