Getty
Real Madrid is expected to receive a major boost ahead of their UEFA Champions League rematch with Manchester City. Los Blancos easily brushed aside their English counterparts without superstar Kylian Mbappe on March 11. The dynamic forward has been dealing with a knee issue off and on since December. Although he has avoided surgery, the injury has forced Mbappe to miss four consecutive Real matchups.
Midfielder Federico Valverde helped fill the superstar’s void against City midweek. The Uruguayan standout recorded a hat-trick against the reigning Premier League champions to give Real a 3-0 lead in the two-legged tie. The Spanish side will now have to travel to Manchester to finish off City and move on to the quarterfinals.
Real head coach Alvaro Arbeloa has now revealed that Mbappe is recovering well from the setback. While the superstar will miss the team’s upcoming league match against Elche, he should be fit and ready to face City. “[Mbappe] is getting better every day,” Arbeloa told reporters on March 13, as reported by ESPN.
“His development is progressing as it should. We made a plan. It depends on his progress, but I think he’s doing very well. He won’t be available tomorrow [against Elche], but I expect he’ll travel to Manchester.”
Real Madrid Needs Boost from Kylian Mbappe Moving Forward
GettyKylian Mbappe is still Real Madrid’s top scorer despite being injured.
The matchup with Manchester City is only the first of two crucial games for Real next week. Advancing on to the Champions League quarterfinals is obviously a big priority for the Spanish club. Nevertheless, they also have ground to make up in the LaLiga table. At the moment, Real is four points behind bitter rivals Barcelona in the title race.
Potentially having a fit Mbappe in the squad would be crucial to Real’s chances of regaining their spot atop the Spanish table. Barca has been atop the standings for most of the campaign since the start of December. Real previously regained the top spot in February before dropping back-to-back league games in recent weeks.
Assuming Mbappe gets through the City game unscathed, he would then be in line to face Atletico Madrid on March 22. The massive matchup could very well help determine whether or not Real can successfully make a title charge.
Mbappe Could Join France Teammates in Next International Break
French soccer reporter Fabrice Hawkins also recently revealed that Mbappe’s recovery is going surprisingly well. According to the insider, the superstar is “feeling good” after returning to the pitch in recent days. Hawkins claimed that Mbappe was targeting a comeback against City next week as well. On top of this, the Frenchman may also be willing to feature for his national team in the next international break.
Arbeloa, however, wants to take it one step at a time. Real’s coach was asked about the possibility of holding Mbappe out of the France national team in the coming weeks. “That’s a long way off,” continued the coach in the aforementioned press conference. said. “As for France, we’ll see when the time comes.”
Either way, the update is great news for Real, but not for Manchester City. The English club has a massive hole to climb out of against Mbappe and company in the Champions League, as well as a seven-point Premier League deficit to make up against Arsenal.
Christopher Moore Christopher Moore has been a Heavy.com contributor since 2025. With over a decade of experience in the industry, he has published thousands of articles reporting on multiple professional sports. He was previously a sports writer for World Soccer Talk, the Yahoo! Contributor Network, and the Maryland Sports Blog. More about Christopher Moore
More Soccer
Loading more stories
