English
Español
Real Madrid went into last night’s game against SL Benfica without key forward Kylian Mbappe, who was sidelined with discomfort in his knee.
The 27-year-old megastar had been playing with pain for some time now, having not fully recovered from the knee injury he had sustained towards the end of 2025.
Having pushed himself, Mbappe was forced to stop this week midway through the training session on the day before the Benfica game, before it was confirmed that he would be sidelined for a while.
Return likely for UCL Round of 16
Now, according to Miguel Angel Diaz of COPE, the expectation at Real Madrid is that Mbappe will miss the team’s upcoming matches against Getafe and Celta Vigo, but be ready for the subsequent UEFA Champions League Round of 16 first leg.
Real Madrid play Getafe in La Liga on Monday, 2 March, before taking on Celta Vigo on Saturday, 7 March – both of which Mbappe is now expected to miss.
Ruled out of the next two games. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
Their next game will be the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16, where they will face either Manchester City or Sporting City, on 10 March or 11 March.
And, as things stand, the belief is that Mbappe will be ready to go in time for that crucial match.
The draw for the UCL Round of 16 will take place on Friday, at which point Real Madrid will learn their opponents.
Speaking after the 2-1 win over Benfica, Real Madrid manager Alvaro Arbeloa provided an update on Mbappe’s situation, saying:
“He had to leave training and on other days he has felt discomfort. We spoke with the doctors and with him, and the best thing was for him to stop.”
“He is very important and from now on we’ll have to wait. Hopefully, it’s a matter of days,” he added.