Madrid hit by fear: Mbappe doubt throws Los Blancos into panic before City clash
Reading Time: 2min | Tue. 09.12.25. | 21:30
As if it was not bad already... Real Madrid's ship has already been wandering through the storm
Just what they didn't need. As if stumbling in La Liga and falling even further behind Barcelona wasn't enough, Real Madrid now stare at the possibility of losing their best player. Like a dark cloud, the threat hung over the Santiago Bernabeu on the eve of the Champions League showdown with Manchester City.
Kylian Mbappe skipped training the day before the match, casting huge doubt on his availability - enough for Marca to declare that every alarm inside the club had gone off. And with reason: the French superstar has scored nine of Real’s 12 goals in the Champions League this season under Xabi Alonso. Yet on Wednesday night, he might not even make the squad list.
Marca does suggest Mbappe could feature, but even if he steps onto the pitch, it will not be at full capacity. Whether he starts, whether he finishes, whether he can even impact the match - everything is up in the air. The fractured finger, combined with persistent pain in the muscles of his left leg, kept him out of training. Alonso hopes the situation will improve by Wednesday night, depending on how the former Monaco and PSG ace feels in the hours before kick-off.
This leaves Alonso with no easy choices. He must now prepare alternative plans - most likely pushing Vinicius Junior into the central striker role. Rodrigo is another theoretical option, although he has long ceased to be the same Rodrigo who once eliminated City with late magic in the Champions League.
And the wider situation at Real Madrid? A disaster. Sunday's defeat to Celta already deepened the crisis, and the coaching staff lost Eder Militao again in that same match. Add to that the long injury list: Dani Carvajal, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dean Huijsen, David Alaba, Ferland Mendy, and Eduardo Camavinga - all sidelined.
Real Madrid walk into a storm… and their lightning bolt, Mbappe, may not be there to strike.
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Matchday 6
Tuesday
Kairat Almaty - Olympiacos 0-1 (0-0)
/Martins 73/
Bayern Munich - Sporting Lisbon IN PROGRESS
23.00: (3.35) Atalanta (3.50) Chelsea (2.25)
23.00: (1.17) Barcelona (8.50) Eintracht Frankfurt (15.0)
23.00: (2.00) Inter Milan (3.85) Liverpool (3.75)
23.00: (2.10) Monaco (3.80) Galatasaray (3.45)
23.00: (3.10) PSV Eindhoven (3.75) Atletico Madrid (2.30)
23.00: (3.00) St. Gilloise (3.70) Olympique Marseille (2.35)
23.00: (1.45) Tottenham (4.60) Slavia Prague (7.25)
Wednesday
20.45: (2.00) Qarabag (3.60) Ajax (4.00)
20.45: (1.45) Villarreal (4.50) Copenhagen (7.00)
23.00: (5.80) Athletic Bilbao (3.80) PSG (1.62)
23.00: (2.40) Benfica (3.40) Napoli (3.20)
23.00: (10.0) Club Brugge (5.20) Arsenal (1.37)
23.00: (1.28) Borussia Dortmund (6.00) Bodo/Glimt (9.50)
23.00: (1.18) Juventus (7.25) Pafos (15.0)
23.00: (3.10) Bayer Leverkusen (3.50) Newcastle (2.40)
23.00: (2.55) Real Madrid (3.85) Manchester City (2.65)
***odds are subject to change***
