Sergio Aguero could get the chance to make one final fairytale Wembley appearance for Manchester City.
The club’s record goalscorer is in contention for Sunday’s Carabao Cup final against Tottenham after returning to training following a muscular problem.
In a further boost for the Premier League leaders, playmaker Kevin De Bruyne could also feature after an ankle injury.
Aguero, who is leaving City when his contract expires at the end of the season, has endured an injury-ravaged campaign.
The 32-year-old has made just six starts this term, mostly due to the after-effects of knee surgery last summer but he has also had other muscle injuries and a month out after contracting Covid-19. He has not featured in a matchday squad for the last four games.
De Bruyne missed the midweek Premier League win at Aston Villa after limping out of last week’s FA Cup semi-final loss to Chelsea but his problem is not as bad as first feared.
Manager Pep Guardiola said: “Both trained (on Friday). It was (Aguero’s) first training session in the last two weeks. Tomorrow (Saturday) is the last training session and after that we’ll decide.”
City are bidding to match Liverpool’s feat of 1981-84 by winning the League Cup for a fourth year in succession. It would also be a sixth triumph in eight years and a record-equalling eighth overall, also matching a Liverpool best.
The final comes at a busy time in the season as City bid to close out a third Premier League title in four years while they face Paris St Germain in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final next Wednesday.
Guardiola concedes it has not been his top priority but he remains determined to win it again.
He said: “We cannot deny the Champions League is close and the Premier League is still not over, and these are the two more important competitions. But always we have an eye on this competition, that’s why we have a mix of contradiction.
“It’s a final we have to win if we go there, but we have one eye on the Champions League and one eye on Crystal Palace.
“The Carabao Cup is nice – we want the four, we will play to win the fourth – but PSG and Palace are there. We’ll see what happens on Sunday.”
