Kylian Mbappé and Jude Bellingham have been included in Real Madrid‘s squad for their Champions League round-of-16 second leg against Manchester City on Tuesday.
Mbappé has been recuperating from a left knee sprain and last participated in Madrid’s 2-1 LaLiga defeat to Osasuna on February 21.
While coach Álvaro Arbeloa hinted that he expected star forward Mbappé—who has scored 13 goals in the Champions League this season—to make the trip to Manchester, the earlier-than-anticipated return of Bellingham is a pleasant surprise.
Reports from ESPN indicated that the midfielder Bellingham was not expected to return until April. Meanwhile, England coach Thomas Tuchel had expressed skepticism regarding Bellingham’s availability for the upcoming international break.
Bellingham has not featured in a match since February 1 due to a muscle injury, and although Arbeloa has included him in the squad, sources suggest he may not see action against City.
Both players were absent during Madrid’s 4-1 LaLiga victory over Elche on Saturday, which meant that Arbeloa had to call upon several academy players amid the team’s injury struggles.
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“[On Sunday] we’ll train at Valdebebas, and we’ll assess Mbappé’s condition,” Arbeloa stated after the match. “I hope he’ll be ready. His presence in Manchester would be fantastic.”
Left-back Álvaro Carreras has also returned to the squad for the match against City.
All three, Mbappé, Bellingham, and Carreras, missed Madrid’s 3-0 win over the Premier League side in the first leg at the Bernabéu, where Federico Valverde scored a hat-trick.