Aston Villa vs Bayern Munich: Watkins aims for Kane’s England place

Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins said he hopes to set a record for England when they face Bayern Munich in the Champions League this evening alongside Harry Kane in a race to get fit.

Kane suffered an ankle injury during Bayern’s 1-1 draw with Bayer Leverkusen at the weekend, but Vincent Kompany is optimistic he will be available for Wednesday’s European Cup game at Villa Park.

When Kane is ready to go, he will face the in-form Watkins, who has scored four goals for Villa this season. Watkins had a good European Championship with England but is still behind Kane in the overall order and will be hoping he can put in a convincing performance against his rival for the starting striker spot in the national team.

“Everyone is fighting for a position on the pitch, so I want to be the man who plays every day,” said Watkins about his international ambitions. “Harry and I have a good relationship.

“When I am in the camp I talk to him so there is no hostility. I do everything I can to be on the pitch and so does he. He has the records and scored as many goals as he did for a reason. “He’s put in a lot of hard work over the years to get there.

Kane, who has scored 10 goals in seven appearances for Bayern this season, trained on the eve of the game and will have until the last minute to prove his fitness.

“I think you saw that Harry was on the pitch today. That went well, but we have to wait until (Wednesday) and see what the situation is and then we will make the right decision,” Kompany said of Kane.

“He trained with us today and hopefully everything works out.”

If Kane plays, Villa boss Unai Emery will try to stop the prolific striker from getting chances.

“We analyze the tactical areas together and then you have to stop the players,” said Emery. “You have Harry Kane, he knows us and we know him, but his ability and potential will be on the pitch. We have to try to stop him.”

This will be the first time Villa have hosted a European Cup game in 41 years and Watkins will be hoping to make the most of the occasion.

“I don’t want to say we have to make the most of it because that sounds like we’re underestimating ourselves, but we’re just enjoying it because the club hasn’t been involved in a competition like this for so long.” said Watkins.

“I personally have never experienced Champions League football, so I want to enjoy it because I dreamed about it as a child.”