Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins said he hopes to set an England marker when he plays Bayern Munich in the Champions League tonight with Harry Kane in a race for fitness.

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

If Kane is fit to start, he will face the in-form Watkins, who has scored four goals for Villa this season. Watkins has enjoyed a good European Championship with England but is still behind Kane in the overall pecking order. He has said he hopes he can make a statement against his rival for the national team’s starting striker.

“Everyone is fighting for a position on the pitch, so I want to be the man to play day in and day out,” Watkins said of his international ambitions. “Harry and I have a good relationship.

“When I’m in camp I talk to him so there’s no animosity. I do everything I can to be on the pitch and so does he. He has the records and has scored the number of goals he has for a reason.” has.” He has worked hard over the years to get there.”

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

“I think you saw Harry on the pitch today. That went well, but we will have to wait until (Wednesday) to 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 will be fine.”

If Kane does play, Villa boss Unai Emery will look to prevent the prolific striker from getting opportunities.

“We analyze the tactical areas together and then you have to stop the players,” Emery said. “They 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 is the first time Villa have hosted a European Cup match in 41 years and Watkins will be hoping to make the most of the opportunity.

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

“For me personally, I have never experienced Champions League football, so I want to enjoy it because this is what I dreamed of as a child.”