Real Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa said on Friday that he was “confident” that Kylian Mbappe would be available to face Manchester City in the second leg of their Champions League last 16 tie.
“He’s getting better day by day,” Arbeloa said at a press conference. “He won’t be there tomorrow (Saturday, in La Liga against Elche), but I’m confident he’ll be on the trip to Manchester.”
With Mbappe sidelined by a knee injury and several other key players missing, Real Madrd thrashed City 3–0 in the first leg at the Bernabéu on Wednesday, thanks to a hat-trick from Federico Valverde.
City hosts the second leg next Tuesday and risks being knocked out of Europe by Madrid for the third season in a row.
France striker Mbappe, who has been sidelined with a left knee sprain since late December, has not played since withdrawing from the squad to face Benfica in the second leg of the Champions League knockout phase playoff round on February 25.
Mbappé has 38 goals in 33 games for his team this season.
His projected return to Madrid comes ahead of the international break, when France will play pre-World Cup friendlies against Brazil and Colombia in the United States.
