Real Madrid are hoping to welcome Eden Hazard back to action on Thursday following a lengthy injury layoff, ahead of the Champions League Last-16 tie with Man City.
Hazard has been out of action since late November when he suffered a hairline fracture in his foot in a 2-2 draw with Paris Saint-Germain but has been stepping up his recovery in recent weeks.
After completing his third full training session with the rest of his Madrid teammates on Monday, Spanish publication AS expect the Belgian to be involved in Thursday's Copa del Rey quarter-final against Real Sociedad.
City will travel to the Bernabeu on February 26 for the first leg of their Champions League knock-out tie, in what will be a rematch of the 2016 semi-final in which Los Blancos narrowly won 1-0 on aggregate.
Hazard has had a slow start to life in the Spanish capital since completing his £90million switch from Chelsea in the summer, as he arrived with a hamstring injury and managed just 13 appearances before returning to the sidelines.
Yet the Blues are all too aware of the damage the 29-year-old can inflict upon them, having scored four goals and setting up another six in games against City during his time in England.
City will be hoping that their own star wide-men, Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane, are available for the tie.
Sterling picked up a hamstring injury in the 2-0 defeat to Tottenham on Sunday and is expected to be out of action for two-three weeks, making him a doubt for the first leg. Sane is yet to kick a ball this season after suffering ligament damage in the Community Shield but is nearing a come back after returning to full training last week.
