Within the dressing room, the belief in Kane's robustness is absolute, with team-mate Joshua Kimmich dismissing any fears of his absence against Madrid by insisting, "he'll even play there in a wheelchair. I expect him to be fit and on the pitch on Tuesday." This steadfast confidence is shared by manager Kompany, who noted that his "gut feeling is that he'll make it."
Kompany has been meticulously managing his squad to ensure maximum freshness for the trip to the Spanish capital. To mitigate any further injury risks before facing the record European champions, the Belgian tactician rested several key players over the weekend, carefully limiting stars like Jamal Musiala and Alphonso Davies to brief substitute appearances.