Kyle Walker believes this
Manchester City team deserve to be considered one of the Premier League's greatest, but insists they can only lay claim to that tag if they go on and win the Champions League. The Blues are in their second final in three years on Saturday and victory against Inter Milan in Istanbul on Saturday will see them match Manchester United's 1999 treble winners. City would become only the second English club to win the league title, FA Cup and European Cup in the same season, to add to the five domestic titles in six years won under
Pep Guardiola. It is a remarkable haul of silverware for a team that has rewritten the record books in the Premier League, but Walker knows conquering Europe is key to putting themselves in the conversation to be the greatest team this country has produced. ALSO READ: Guardiola gives honest answer on rival support in
Champions League final He cites United's treble winners and the
Arsenal team of 2003/04 who finished the league season unbeaten as contenders for that honour, but also raised Liverpool's Champions League triumph in 2018/19 as another motivating factor. "I think that United team, along with the [Arsenal] Invincibles, is probably up there with the best
Premier League teams of all time," said Walker. "What us and
Liverpool, to a certain extent, have done where we have been battling for the last number of years I think we should be in consideration - both teams as we both have fantastic players – but they have silverware and they have got the big Champions League trophy that we can never say we have got. "For us to be in contention of talking around that we need to go and pick this up. We don't win five Premier Leagues in six years if we are not a good team. We kind of know we are a good team but to be recognised globally as one of the best teams you need to win the Champions League. "We are not beating around the bush with that, we know this is now a great opportunity, we have a second chance definitely with Pep and the group of players who have stayed around and we need to put right the wrongs we did against Chelsea." Walker was in the City team that lost to
Chelsea in the final two years ago and remembers the pain of having to congratulate some of the winners when meeting up for
England duty soon after. The 33-year-old believes that experience in Lisbon and even some of the simpler things such as seeing the trophy and standing for the Champions League anthem will make Saturday's final a little more comfortable and that the disappointment of that defeat will add fuel to the
fire this weekend. “We've been there. When you walk out, hear the anthem playing and see the cup – these are the things when you walk out before and you are not really expecting it you think 'Oh my gosh, it's actually happening now'," said Walker. "Now when you walk out you know you've been here before, you've experienced these things before, and it is just about playing your
Football and trusting the people around you - Erling is popping up with the goals, Kevin is popping up with the assists – so I think we will be all right." Walker has bounced back from some public criticism from Guardiola to regain his place in the City starting XI and he's calmed fears over his own fitness this week, having missed Tuesday's training session with a back problem. If he is selected to start a second Champions League final, the biggest challenge might be killing time before kick-off, which will come at 10pm local time in Istanbul. "I hate eight o'clock games because it is the wait of all day to go to the game. I'd rather it kicked off at three o'clock and then it is done then," he said. "Obviously there is a little bit of nerves and I think nerves are good, you have to channel them in the right direction to make you perform well, but it is more excitement rather than nerves. "You need to get your nutrition in and move around the hotel if you need to get some treatment but it is about preparing so you are mentally fresh for the game. What else can you do, you can't bring the game forward, I just have to deal with it and have a little nap in the afternoon. Then I don't sleep after the game. It's Sod's Law isn't it?" If Walker is busy celebrating rather than sleeping late into Saturday night in Istanbul, then City can consider themselves among the greats. NEXT UP: Guardiola gives fitness update on Walker De Bruyne explains secret to City success