Real Madrid attacker Kylian Mbappe is reportedly facing a battle to be fit for the Copa del Rey final, having suffered an ankle injury against Arsenal in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
The France international twisted his ankle in a tangle with Arsenal's Declan Rice during the latter stages of the quarter-final second leg, which finished 2-1 to the North London club, who ultimately triumphed 5-1 on aggregate.
Mbappe has already been ruled out of Real Madrid's La Liga game with Athletic Bilbao on Sunday through suspension, having received a one-game ban for his red card against Alaves last weekend.
According to journalist Melchor Ruiz, last summer's arrival will also be absent against Getafe in La Liga next week, and he is facing a battle to be ready for the Copa del Rey final against Barcelona on April 27.
The expectation is that Mbappe will be fit for El Clasico, but any minor setback in his recovery process would almost certainly lead to him being unavailable for the cup final, which would be a monumental blow for Carlo Ancelotti's side.
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Mbappe suffered an ankle injury against Arsenal
Mbappe has scored 32 times and registered four assists in 49 appearances for Real Madrid this season, but there have been question marks surrounding whether he has improved Los Blancos as a team.
Real Madrid won a Champions League and La Liga double last season with Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo playing as a front two, which allowed Jude Bellingham to operate as an advanced midfielder.
Mbappe's arrival led to head coach Ancelotti switching back to a 4-3-3 formation, but Bellingham has found it difficult to have as much influence in a deeper area, being overshadowed by England teammate Rice in the recent Champions League quarter-final.
Vinicius's future at Bernabeu continues to be called into question, with Los Blancos thought to be willing to listen to world-record offers for the Brazil international during this summer's transfer window.
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Who would replace Mbappe against Barcelona if the Frenchman is unavailable?
Endrick is an option for the centre-forward role, but it is more likely that Rodrygo would be moved into a central position, with Brahim Diaz then coming into the side down the right.
Arda Guler continues to struggle for starts, so it is unlikely that the Turkey international would earn a starting role, while Ancelotti is not expected to change his formation, even though a Bellingham, Vinicius, Rodrygo attack brought so much success last term.
Real Madrid cannot afford to slip up in La Liga this weekend, as they are four points behind Barcelona at the top of the table, but the gap could be seven points by the time that their match against Athletic kicks off on Sunday.
Matt Law
