Football

In sporting terms, Real Madrid can breathe a sigh of relief after their victory over Atalanta Bergamo on Tuesday evening. But Madrid fans are holding their breath as team star, Kylian Mbappé, left the pitch injured.

Kylian Mbappé was forced off the pitch prematurely during the Champions League match between Real Madrid and Atalanta Bergamo on Tuesday evening. The French striker suffered hamstring discomfort in the 36th minute, shortly after scoring his 50th Champions League goal.

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti was reassuring after the match about Mbappé's state of health:

“Mbappé is suffering from discomfort in his hamstring. It doesn't look serious, we'll see tomorrow (Wednesday). He couldn't sprint, it was hurting him a bit and we preferred to replace him”.

Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois also gave his opinion on his team-mate's injury: “I think he felt his muscle contract a little. I don't think it's going to be anything serious. Maybe we'll lose him for this weekend, hopefully not longer.”

Mbappé is expected to undergo an MRI this Wednesday, December 11, to assess the severity of his injury. Real Madrid are not expected to announce how long their player will be unavailable until they receive the results of the examination. It's possible that Mbappé will have to rest for his next La Liga match against Rayo Vallecano on Saturday.

The injury comes at a time when Mbappé seemed to be finally getting back to his best with Real Madrid. Prior to this muscle scare, he was putting on one of his best performances in a Madrid shirt, with a goal and several clear-cut chances. An injury to the same hamstring had already kept him off the pitch in October, but at the time he was able to return more quickly than expected.

Real seem confident in their ability to cope with Kylian Mbappé's absence, despite the player's importance to the team. Real coach Carlo Ancelotti: “Without Mbappé, it's certain that our way of playing will change, but not that much. In reality, we're used to playing without him, as we did last year. I think we can handle his absence.”

To compensate for his absence, Real Madrid can count on other attacking players from its core such as Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo, or make use of the versatility of Federico Valverde, considered to be the team's best current player.

(MH with LM- Source: AFP/picture Omar Ramadan via Pexels)