Home / Football / Champions League News Real Madrid confident of unleashing Mbappe in Man City second leg The France star is nearing a comeback. Written by Nicholas McGee Last Update: March 13, 2026 08:16:53 pm GMT 3 min read Real Madrid are confident Kylian Mbappe will be able to make his return from injury when they face Manchester City in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie next week. Mbappe has missed the last four gams games for Los Blancos because of a knee injury.His absence was not felt in the first leg against City as a Federico Valverde hat-trick gave Madrid a stunning 3-0 win at the Santiago Bernabeu.Mbappe will not make his return in the LaLiga game with Elche on Saturday, but coach Alvaro Arbeloa indicated the France talisman will be ready to help Madrid secure their place in the quarter-finals when they renew acquaintances with City at the Etihad Stadium.The former Paris Saint-Germain star has scored 38 goals in all competitions this season, with 13 of those coming in the Champions League.I think he is getting better every day, Arbeloa told his pre-match press conference ahead of the visit of Elche. The progress he is making follows the plan we set when we decided to pause, after conducting all the tests with the medical services and the physical preparation department. It is clear that it also depended a lot on his daily progress, but I see him doing very well. He will not be available tomorrow, but we are confident he will be ready to travel to Manchester.I want him to be able to travel to Manchester. Lets see how he feels tomorrow and especially on Sunday when well make a final decision. Hopefully, hell be there, and hopefully, he can also be available against Atletico Madrid. After that, whatever happens with France [in the international break], well address it when the time comes.Real Madrid boss not looking past ElcheWhile Madrid would be forgiven for having one eye on the return leg with City on Tuesday, Arbeloas focus is solely on the opportunity Madrid have to cut the gap to LaLiga leaders Barcelona to one point.Barca face Sevilla on Sunday, having endured a difficult game in the Champions League, a 1-1 draw with Newcastle United at St James Park in which the Blaugrana needed a penalty with Lamine Yamal with the final kick of the game to avoid going into the second leg at Camp Nou needing to overturn a deficit.We will field the best team possible to beat Elche, Arbeloa added. I have no doubt. I am not thinking about anything other than tomorrows match at nine at night [local time]. The players need to give their all and go home exhausted after each match, recover, and be ready for the next one. That is their job. It is a very demanding job, not an easy one, which is why they are here, because they are Real Madrid players. They must be capable of giving their best version every three days and be ready to run, fight, and work again as they did on Wednesday. Topics: Champions League LaLiga Manchester City F.C. Real Madrid CF Follow us: Nicholas McGee Nicholas is a freelance sports journalist with significant experience covering a wide variety of sports. He has previously worked for Stats Perform and was most recently employed as San Francisco 49ers beat writer for A to Z Sports. He regularly contributes to Gridiron magazine and has also had NFL work featured in The Times and The Mirror. Read more from Nicholas McGee
