Kylian Mbappé will miss his fifth consecutive match on the weekend due to a knee sprain, though the coaching staff remain optimistic for a return against Man City
Real Madrid’s medical staff and coach Álvaro Arbeloa have opted for a safety-first approach regarding Kylian Mbappé’s injury recovery, officially ruling him out of Saturday’s LaLiga clash against Elche at Estadio Santiago Bernabéu.
The 27-year-old forward has been sidelined since early March with a left knee sprain, an issue that has hampered his availability throughout the 2026 calendar year.
Despite the setback, Arbeloa used his Friday press conference to reassure supporters that the striker’s rehabilitation is entering its final stages, with the goal of having him lead the line for Tuesday’s crucial Champions League Round of 16 second leg at the Etihad Stadium.
The Mbappé injury comes at a time when Real Madrid are entering a busy period of the season and a significant injury crisis.
Jude Bellingham remains sidelined, while Alvaro Carreras could return. Eduardo Camavinga missed the previous two LaLiga matches but returned against Man City in the Champions League.
Arbeloa, who took over from Xabi Alonso in January, confirmed that the club is adhering to a strict recovery schedule designed to avoid a long-term recurrence of the injury.
Kylian Mbappé stats in a troubled campaign
The current spell on the sidelines highlights a frustrating trend for Mbappé in 2026. While he remains the club’s top goalscorer this season with 38 goals across all competitions, he has only been fit to start in nine of the 17 matches played since the turn of the year.
The knee injury, which originally flared up in early December against Athletic Club, has forced him to miss critical European nights against Benfica and domestic fixtures against Celta Vigo and Getafe.
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“He won’t be available for tomorrow’s match [against Elche], but we’re confident he’ll be ready to travel to Manchester,” Arbeloa said in the pre-match press conference.
“His progress is in line with the plan we made when we decided to stop and conduct all the tests… he looks very good to me.
“I want him to be able to travel to Manchester. We’ll see how he’s feeling tomorrow and on Sunday, and then we’ll make a final decision.”
BAILA @vinijr and please never stop.
They will never tell us what we have to do or not. ✊🏽— Kylian Mbappé (@KMbappe) February 17, 2026
Will Mbappé be available for France?
Looking beyond the Champions League, Arbeloa also faced questions regarding Mbappé’s potential call-up to the France national team for their upcoming friendly tour of the United States.
While the coach expressed hope that Mbappé would be fit for the derby against Atlético Madrid on March 22, he remained non-committal about the international break, suggesting that the club and the French federation would address his status following the Manchester City match.