Real Madrid will face SL Benfica tonight at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium without Kylian Mbappe, who has been sidelined by a lingering left knee injury.
The French forward, who has been nursing the injury for over two months, was omitted from the squad announced by head coach Alvaro Arbeloa on Wednesday.
Mbappe’s absence adds to a list of Real Madrid forwards unavailable for the crucial second-leg clash. Rodrygo and Jude Bellingham are also out due to injuries, leaving Madrid to rely on Franco Mastantuono, Brahim Diaz and Gonzalo Garcia to maintain their 1-0 advantage from last week’s first-leg victory in Lisbon.
The 25-year-old’s injury history this season has raised eyebrows. An MRI on 31 December 2025 revealed an external collateral ligament tear sustained against Celta on 7 December. Although initially expected to recover in three weeks, Mbappe returned after just 11 days, playing limited minutes in the Supercopa final defeat to Barcelona. Since then, he has mostly played full matches under Arbeloa, but persistent pain forced him to cut short training on Tuesday.
His absence also has implications for the France national team ahead of the World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico this year. Madrid plan to rest Mbappe for the next 10 days, which will see him miss the league matches against Getafe on 2 March and the trip to Vigo on 7 March, with the hope that he will be fit for the Champions League last-16.
The backdrop of the fixture is already tense. Last week in Lisbon, Mbappe alleged that Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni racially abused Vinicius Junior, who is included in tonight’s squad. Prestianni, despite being suspended, traveled to Madrid and trained with his teammates on Tuesday, though Benfica’s appeal to allow him to play remains unlikely to succeed.
Benfica head coach Jose Mourinho will also be absent from the touchline due to suspension and was seen leaving the team hotel earlier in the day to visit a friend in hospital.
With Madrid holding a narrow first-leg lead and several key players sidelined, the pressure will be on Arbeloa’s squad to secure qualification to the Champions League last 16.
