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Real Madrid have been boosted by the return of Kylian Mbappe for their Champions League last-16 clash against Manchester City.
Mbappe has not featured for Madrid since the 2-1 defeat to Osasuna in LaLiga on February 21, missing the last five games in all competitions with a knee injury.
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Jude Bellingham, meanwhile, has been sidelined for over a month with a hamstring injury which was initially supposed to keep him out of action until after the March international break.
However, the midfielder has recovered quicker than expected and, along with Mbappe, was named in the Real Madrid travelling party for Tuesday night’s decider in Manchester.
The pair trained at the Etihad Stadium on Monday night, though Alvaro Arbeloa has confirmed that while Bellingham remains unavailable for selection, Mbappe will play some part at the Etihad Stadium.
With Real Madrid 3-0 up from the first leg and Man City needing to commit players forward in search of goals, the space in behind will suit the speed of Mbappe, who starts on the bench.
Arbeloa has switched between a 4-4-2 and 4-3-3 system recently, opting for the latter in the first leg against Man City and this may see Arda Guler moved to the flanks after he operated as a false nine last week.
Rodrygo, Dani Ceballos, Eder Militao, Raul Asencio and Ferland Mendy are all absent for Los Blancos, but Alvaro Carreras and David Alaba are back after missing the first leg.
Confirmed team news
Man City XI: Donnarumma, Nunes, Khusanov, Dias, Ait-Nouri, Rodri, Bernardo, Cherki, Doku, Haaland
Substitutes: Trafford, Stones, Ake, Marmoush, Kovacic, Nico, Guehi, Savinho, O'Reilly, Semenyo, Foden, Lewis
Real Madrid XI: Courtois, Alexander-Arnold, Rudiger, Huijsen, Fran Garcia, Valverde, Thiago, Tchouameni, Arda Guler, Brahim, Vinicius Jr
Substitutes: Lunin, Carvajal, Alaba, Camavinga, Mbappe, Gonzalo, Carreras, Mastantuono, Diego Aguado, Cestero, Manuel
Injured: Rodrygo, Ceballos, Militao, Asencio, Mendy
Doubt: Mbappe
Venue: Etihad Stadium
Date and time: 8pm GMT on Tuesday, March 17, 2026
How to watch: Amazon Prime
