Kylian Mbappe fit for Manchester City return leg but Jude Bellingham sidelined, confirms Alvaro Arbeloa | OneFootball

Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe has been passed fit to face Manchester City in the return leg of his side’s UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie on Tuesday night.

The 27-year-old missed Madrid’s 3-0 win over City in the opening leg of the knockout tie at the Santiago Bernabeu last week as Federico Valverde‘s 22 minute first-half hat-trick gave Alvaro Arbeloa’s side a comfortable cushion ahead of the second leg.

Mbappe has been nursing a knee injury that saw him watch the first leg from the stands in Madrid and kept him out of contention in his side’s weekend win over Elche.

However, the France international was named in Real Madrid’s 26-player list for the second leg on Monday to raise hopes of him helping Los Blancos see their three goal lead through at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday night.

Mbappe fit for Manchester City return leg but Bellingham unavailable, confirms Arbeloa

Ahead of Tuesday night’s second leg against Manchester City, Real Madrid manager Alvaro Arbeloa has confirmed that Mbappe is ‘ready to play’ as the La Liga giants look to ensure qualification to the UEFA Champions League quarter-final, as reported by Times Sport’s Paul Hirst.

However, Jude Bellingham, who despite to England’s north-west for the European clash, will not be fit in time to face Guardiola’s men as he recovers from a hamstring injury.

“Bellingham has wanted to come with his teammates to be with the team and he will participate in the training session but not in the game tomorrow. He is one of the leaders,” Arbeloa added.

Real Madrid are dealing with a lengthy injury list but after taking a healthy lead in the tie on their own turf, Los Blancos can sit back, shut up shop and defend their advantage at the Etihad Stadium this week.

Erling Haaland vs Kylian Mbappe could decide fate of Round of 16 tie

All eyes will be on Erling Haaland down the middle for Manchester City on Tuesday night, with Guardiola leaning on his number nine to end his poor run of form in 2026 with a match-winning performance when his side need it the most.

Asked whether he would be surprised if Haaland would not start in the return leg, Manchester City captain Bernardo Silva said: “We wouldn’t be shocked by anything because it’s not our job to judge the manager’s decision.

“He gets paid a lot of money to make those decisions, and for us as players our job is to be ready, and have a big squad – anyone is ready to play. Obviously, Erling is a massive player for us, a very important player for us – and in the big games, you need those players.

“But we have fantastic players everywhere and no one is irreplaceable. I would prefer to have Erling Haaland (against Real Madrid) because he’s someone that when you have him on the pitch, you’re closer to scoring goals – and we need goals tomorrow.”