Just in – Mbappe doing ‘much better’ but will not play vs Manchester City | OneFootball

Real Madrid will take on Manchester City on Wednesday in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League Round-of-16 tie.

The Merengues will be gunning for a victory at home so that they can enter the second leg at the Etihad next week with an advantage.

However, it will be anything but easy as manager Alvaro Arbeloa given the number of injuries in the squad.

Mbappe will not play against Manchester City

Ahead of the game, it has been definitively confirmed now that Real Madrid superstar Kylian Mbappe, who was set for additional tests today, will not play against Manchester City.

Journalist Melchor Ruiz of COPE claims that the French forward is doing ‘much better’ as far as the condition of his knee is concerned. However, it is not enough for him to return against Pep Guardiola’s men.

Mbappe will not play vs Manchester City. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)

Providing further details on the situation, MARCA reports that Mbappe rejoined the club this morning after spending last week in Paris following a conservative treatment plan for his knee.

But the fact that he did not train with the rest of the squad today practically rules him out of the match against Pep Guardiola’s side. The Madrid No. 10 did step onto the pitch, but only to do light running alongside his fitness coach.

The objective now is to bring him back gradually without rushing the recovery process.

One possibility is that, if his progress continues positively, he could get some minutes against Elche to prepare for the second leg against Manchester City, although even that scenario is not guaranteed.

For now, Mbappe will miss the first leg against the Premier League giants, along with Jude Bellingham, Eder Militao, Rodrygo Goes, David Alaba, Dani Ceballos, and Alvaro Carreras.