Real Madrid’s Bellingham and Mbappe Back for Manchester City Clash

Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham have returned to Real Madrid’s squad ahead of their UEFA Champions League last-16 second leg against Manchester City on Tuesday. Mbappe, 27, was diagnosed with a left knee sprain in early March and had missed Real’s line-up since the La Liga game against Osasuna on 21 February. Bellingham suffered a hamstring injury less than 10 minutes into a league match against Rayo Vallecano on 1 February, leaving the field in tears. The 22-year-old midfielder had initially been expected to be sidelined for about four weeks, but the injury proved more serious than first assessed, casting doubt on his availability for England’s upcoming friendlies against Uruguay and Japan later this month. Real travel to Manchester holding a 3-0 advantage from the first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium last Wednesday, highlighted by a first-half hat-trick from Federico Valverde. The victory margin could have been even greater, but Gianluigi Donnarumma, Manchester City’s goalkeeper, saved a penalty from Vinicius Jr early in the second half.

SPORT