The Spanish club, Real Madrid, announced today, Wednesday, the absence of French international Kylian Mbappe, the first team striker, from the match against the Portuguese Benfica, scheduled to be held today, Wednesday, as part of the second leg of the qualifying round for the Champions League final. Due to a knee injury.
Mbappe suffers from a knee injury that caused him to miss matches last December and January, and he did not participate in the Spanish League match against Real Sociedad earlier this month.
The 27-year-old French striker is the team’s top scorer this season with 38 goals, including 23 in the local league and 13 in the Champions League.
Real Madrid included only Vinicius Junior, Gonzalo Garcia, Brahim Diaz and Franco Mastantuno – 18 years old – in the team’s attack for the match that will be held at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.
Real Madrid enters today’s match after winning 1-0 in the first leg last week, with a goal by Vinicius in the second half of the match, which was marred by a racist controversy with the participation of the Brazilian striker, who claimed that Benfica player Gianluca Pristiani had directed a racist insult at him.
The European Football Association (UEFA) temporarily suspended Pristiani for one match, but the Argentine winger traveled with the team to Madrid after Benfica appealed against his suspension.
Midfielder Jude Bellingham is still unavailable due to a hamstring injury, while striker Rodrigo is serving a two-match suspension for insulting the referee during the 4-2 defeat to Benfica in the league stage of the continental championship.
