We’ve just been handed a massive psychological lift ahead of our titanic Champions League quarter-final tie against Manchester City. Our star forward, Kylian Mbappe, has officially been spotted back on the grass at Valdebebas!

After spending time in Paris undergoing treatment for a knee injury, his return to the club’s training base is exactly the kind of momentum shift manager Alvaro Arbeloa needs right now.

The Mbappé Situation: While seeing him return is incredible news, it’s important to manage expectations. Mbappe hasn’t rejoined the main group for full sessions just yet. Instead, he’s been executing continuous running drills with fitness coach Sebastien Devillaz.

Despite the optimistic sights on the training pitch, it remains hugely unlikely that he will feature in Wednesday’s first-leg showdown against City. The medical staff is monitoring him by the hour, but the club is rightly taking a cautious approach. We need him at 100% for the second leg and beyond, so rushing him back isn’t part of the personalized recovery plan.

Defensive Setback: Carreras Out. Unfortunately, it’s not all perfect news. We’ve been hit with a defensive blow concerning full-back Alvaro Carreras.

The official medical report from the club confirmed the worst: “After the tests carried out on our player Alvaro Carreras by the Real Madrid Medical Services, he has been diagnosed with a muscle injury in the calf of his right leg.” With the City clash just two days away, he is almost certainly ruled out for the first leg.

Rudiger and Camavinga Return To balance out the Carreras blow, Los Blancos are welcoming back two absolute pillars of the squad:

  • Antonio Rudiger: Spotted back in full training and fully expected to anchor the defense against Erling Haaland and the City attack.
  • Eduardo Camavinga: After battling a persistent tooth infection, Cama is finally back with the main group and ready to fight for a starting spot in midfield or at left-back.

As we head into the final stages of preparation, Arbeloa has 17 first-team players fully available. The selection hurdles are real, but this is the Champions League, and this is Real Madrid.