Madrid: Fifteen-time UEFA Champions League winners, Real Madrid, have been provided a double injury boost ahead of their highly anticipated Round of 16 second leg clash against the 2023 champions, Manchester City. Coach Alvaro Arbeloa has confirmed that their top goal-scorer, Kylian Mbappe, along with Jude Bellingham, are declared fit and included in the 26-man squad for Tuesday's match to be played at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester.
Madrid take a 3-0 lead into the match against City after last week's first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu, where Federico Valverde scored a first-half hat trick.
Neither Mbappe nor Bellingham featured in that game due to injury. Left-back Alvaro Carreras and central defender David Alaba also missed the match with calf problems, but both players have been named in the travelling squad. Bellingham has missed Madrid's last nine games after suffering a hamstring injury early in a 2-1 home win over Rayo Vallecano at the start of February. Mbappe has been dealing with discomfort in his left knee since before Christmas. Madrid have tried to manage the issue by resting him in selected games, including the defeat to Manchester City in December, the Spanish Super Cup semifinal, and last month’s LaLiga win over Real Sociedad. IANS