Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe is to miss around three weeks of action with a thigh injury — including Sunday’s clash at rivals Atletico Madrid.
The 25-year-old sustained the injury in Madrid’s 3-2 victory at home to Alaves in La Liga on Tuesday, with the France international replaced by Arda Guler in the 80th minute.
Mbappe netted his seventh goal of the season, doubling his side’s lead five minutes before half-time. They were 3-0 up when the Frenchman was taken off, but two late goals from Alaves created a tense finish.
“He’s fine, he’s fine, a little bit (over) loaded,” Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti said after Tuesday’s match. “He asked me to change to avoid problems.”
Mbappe scored against Alaves before sustaining his injury (M. Gracia Jimenez/Soccrates/Getty Images)
However, Madrid confirmed on Wednesday that Mbappe has “an injury to the biceps femoris in his left leg”. He is expected to be ruled out until mid-October.
The injury is also likely to sideline Mbappe from Madrid’s trip to Lille in the Champions League on October 2 — which would have been his first return to France at club level since his summer move to the Spanish capital from Paris Saint-Germain.
Madrid, meanwhile, have already contended with a number of injury concerns this season, with Brahim Diaz and Dani Ceballos both sidelined. Eduardo Camavinga, however, is expected to return to first-team training on Thursday and be available for the Madrid derby.
(Top photo: David Ramos/Getty Images)
