Midfielder Ilkay Gundogan has been one of the standout performers for Manchester City this season but the forward has been recovering from an injury in the past couple of days.
The German international has scored 13 goals in 28 Premier League games this season but he was taken off the pitch last week against Brighton and Hove Albion after a collision with midfielder, Alireza Jahanbakhsh.
And given that he was on the bench during Man City’s final Premier League game vs Everton on Sunday, there were a few alarm bells that Gundogan might not be fit to start in the Champions League final against Chelsea.
Thankfully, the German has doused all fears claiming that he is fully fit and has also been involved in each and every training session.
“I’m alright, I was cautious at Brighton,” Gundogan said, as reported.
“After the knock on the knee, I felt the muscles so didn’t want to pull anything. I didn’t miss any training session so I’m feeling good.”
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The fact that Ilkay Gundogan is fit and available for selection means he is going to start in central midfield alongside Rodri.
Kevin De Bruyne will be the third player who will start in midfield, playing in the traditional No 10 role but given how Chelsea are rock-solid in defence, Pep Guardiola might urge Ilkay Gundogan to join in attack at every opportunity he gets.
So with the 30-year-old available for selection next weekend the Man City boss has a fully fit squad to choose from – something which could come really handy in a key match like this.
