Kylian Mbappe could make a sooner-than-anticipated return from injury and may even start for Real Madrid in Wednesday’s Champions League clash at Lille.
The Frenchman sustained a thigh injury in Real’s 3-2 victory over Alaves last Tuesday and missed the Madrid derby, which finished 1-1 on Sunday, as he was expected to be sidelined for around three weeks.
But on the eve of their second fixture in Europe’s elite club competition this season, Real head coach Carlo Ancelotti revealed Mbappe could make a swift comeback after returning to training.
“He’s recovered well, very quickly,” Ancelotti told a press conference. “He only trained individually (on Monday), but he didn’t spend a lot of time out, so he hasn’t lost his shape.
“He’ll do all the training with the group (on Tuesday) and then we’ll make the best decision together with him, considering that the last thing we want to do is to take any risks.
“He had a muscle problem. He wanted to travel to play because he feels fine. We’ll just have to see how he trains and, if he’s 100 per cent and there’s no risk, he’ll play from the first minute.”
While one Mbappe tries to prove his fitness, another has been ruled out with injury. Mbappe’s brother Ethan plays for Lille but the 17-year-old suffered an injury in the weekend Ligue 1 win at Le Havre.
“I got injured during the match and I’m going to be away for several weeks,” he wrote on Instagram. “It’s a difficult moment for me because it’s the first time since I’ve played football.
“My dream of meeting my brother in the Champions League is getting far but not disappearing.”
Ancelotti is not underestimating the threat posed by Lille, who squeezed into the fourth and final Champions League spot from Ligue 1 last season.
“In this new format, we have to score points and we’re here to do that, considering the quality of our opponents, who play very well and have quality young players,” the Italian added.
“As always, in every game now we have to fight, battle and compete. We’re feeling good, we’re confident that we can improve and we’re ready for it.
“We want to be at our best at a time of the season with a lot of games, but I think the team looks pretty good. We’ll be back to our best very soon.”
