Real Madrid will take on Leganés in the Copa del Rey quarter-finals without two key players.
Manager Carlo Ancelotti confirmed that forward Kylian Mbappé and midfielder Jude Bellingham will miss the match.
Injuries have already sidelined defender Éder Militão, right-back Dani Carvajal, and midfielder Eduardo Camavinga. Last Saturday, in a 1-0 loss to Espanyol in La Liga, defender Antonio Rüdiger sustained a hamstring injury that will keep him out for several weeks. On Tuesday, Real Madrid also announced that defender David Alaba had picked up a foot injury. Alaba had only recently returned to action last month after being out for 13 months.
Mbappé, who joined Real Madrid from PSG last summer, has scored 21 goals in 33 matches across all competitions this season. Bellingham has scored 10 goals in 30 appearances. Both players played the full match against Espanyol, where Mbappé narrowly avoided a serious injury from a dangerous tackle.
Ahead of this Saturday’s crucial La Liga clash with Atlético Madrid, Ancelotti is not willing to take any risks with Mbappé and Bellingham. He confirmed they will not play against Leganés on Wednesday.
“Bellingham picked up an injury and won’t be playing. Vinícius Júnior has been given an extra day to recover, but he will play tomorrow,” Ancelotti said.
“Mbappé trained today (Tuesday). He has a muscle injury in his foot. He trained normally, but he won’t play in tomorrow’s (Wednesday) match.”