Gianluigi Donnarumma hopeful of Kylian Mbappe battle in Real Madrid return leg | OneFootball

Manchester City’s Gianluigi Donnarumma is wishing he faces former Paris Saint-Germain teammate Kylian Mbappe at the Etihad Stadium next week.

Donnarumma will be between the sticks for Manchester City in the opening leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday night.

The 27-year-old has been a revelation since moving to Manchester from Paris on deadline day of the 2025 summer transfer window, displaying City academy graduate James Trafford in goal and establishing himself as Pep Guardiola’s undisputed number one goalkeeper.

City and Guardiola will be leaning heavily on Donnarumma as they progress upon their quest for an unprecedented quadruple by taking on Real Madrid twice in the next few weeks – marking the 12th and 13th times they will face off against Los Blancos in the last seven seasons.

Will Kylian Mbappe be fit to face Manchester City at the Santiago Bernabeu?

Mbappe has been nursing a knee injury ahead of the Manchester City Round of 16 curtain raiser and did train on Monday, even taking part in individual drills in a session on Tuesday.

However, Real Madrid manager Alvaro Arbeloa has confirmed that Mbappe will be unfit for the first leg on Wednesday night and the 27-year-old forward faces a race against time to prove his fitness for the return leg at the Etihad Stadium.

Speaking in a press conference on Tuesday, Arbeloa issued an update on Mbappe’s recovery. “He’s much better. As I’ve mentioned over the past weeks, it’s a day-to-day process to see how he evolves,” the Spanish manager said.

“This entire week has been very positive and he’s returned with great sensations. Everyday, he’s getting better and we’re expecting him back very soon.”

What has Gianluigi Donnarumma said about Kylian Mbappe?

Manchester City’s chances of defeating Real Madrid and progressing to the UEFA Champions League quarter-final have been handed a major boost as a result of Mbappe’s absence for the first leg and almost certainly for the return leg too.

Eder Militao, David Alaba, Alvaro Carreras, Dani Ceballos, Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo all remained absent from Real Madrid’s open training session on Tuesday.

Asked whether his former PSG teammate’s absence through injury will make his job in net easier on Wednesday, Donnarumma said: “He (Mbappe) is one of the most amazing players in the world, a great talent. And as a goalkeeper, not facing these kind of players can be an advantage.

“I have less work to do I’d say, but the players that will replace him are champions. We are playing Real Madrid; a team made up of champions, so we have to pay the same attention. I hope that he (Mbappe) can come back very soon – and can be ready for the second-leg, because he deserves it.”

What else has Gianluigi Donnarumma said ahead of the Real Madrid first leg?

Donnarumma was further quizzed on his relationship with Real Madrid shotstopper Thibaut Courtois as two of the greatest goalkeepers in world football prepare to go toe to toe over two legs in Madrid and Manchester.

“I have a great relationship with Thibaut (Courtois),” Donnarumma added. “No doubt he’s one of the strongest goalkeepers on a global scale, I’ve always admired him.

“He (Courtois) has been among the best in class for many years and I have many things to learn from such a goalkeeper. He’s always been among the best two or three in the world, there for many years.”

Guardiola will not be as hopeful as Donnarumma for Mbappe to return to match fitness in time for the Round of 16 return leg at the Etihad Stadium next week, as Manchester City look to capitalise on their recent run of rich form and Real Madrid’s injury crisis to see off the Spanish giants over 180 minutes.