Manchester City will defend their Champions League title when they meet Real Madrid in the first leg of their quarter-final matchup at the Bernabeu on Tuesday night.

City warmed up for their trip to Spain with a 4-2 victory over Crystal Palace on Saturday, collecting their second consecutive Premier League win. Following an early scare, the Blues replied with goals from Kevin De Bruyne (2), Rico Lewis, and Erling Haaland.

With a repeat of last season’s historic Treble still within reach, City will be determined to make a major step toward the semi-finals of Europe’s premier club competition, where they will face either Arsenal or Bayern Munich. Next Wednesday (April 17), the Blues will host Madrid at the Etihad Stadium for the second leg.

On Monday morning, before departing to Spain, City held an open training session in front of the media at their training facility. There was no trace of Josko Gvardiol or Nathan Ake, putting doubt on their availability, while Kyle Walker went out on the field for a single training session.

Below, MEN Sport has picked out five things that we noticed from Monday’s open training session:

Double defensive blow.

Gvardiol and Ake did not participate in the training session, raising questions about their availability for the trip to Spain. Pep Guardiola described the former’s injury as a “niggle” that forced him out before halftime against Palace. Ake, meanwhile, has missed the last two games after being substituted in the first half of Arsenal’s goalless draw on Easter Sunday.

Is Walker in a race to be fit?

Walker did train on Monday, but not with the main group, opting for a solitary session as the media began to leave. He has missed the last three matches after injuring his hamstring while on England duty about a fortnight ago. He last played for City on March 16, in the FA Cup against Newcastle United.

Bernardo has a go in goal

You couldn’t blame City’s players for handling their most recent training session with extreme caution ahead of such a crucial encounter. However, there was a time when Guardiola’s team was able to relax and approach the game with a feeling of serenity and fun, to the point where Bernardo Silva was spotted making a brief appearance in goal. He was pictured saving a shot by punching it away.

Haaland’s Pep talk

Haaland returned to scoring form at Selhurst Park on Saturday, and he will be eager to add to his score in Madrid. He failed to score in either leg of last season’s Champions League semi-final between the two clubs, so he will be desperate to make his imprint this time. He was seen having a lengthy conversation with Guardiola during the training session, however the specifics are unknown.

Smiles aplenty

After knocking Madrid out of the competition last season, City has every reason to be confident. Continuing the theme of Bernardo’s attempt in goal, Rodri appeared to be the center of a brief period of laughter among his teammates. Several of them were all laughing and joking, projecting the image of players who are both confident and carefree.

(Image: Alex Livesey/Getty Images.)