Mbappe injury 'not serious' as Vallecano looms
Kylian Mbappe will miss Real Madrid's LaLiga clash with Rayo Vallecano this weekend, but Eduardo Camavinga is fit enough to return, Carlo Ancelotti revealed ahead of the match.
After becoming the ninth player to reach 50 UEFA Champions League goals in Madrid's 3-2 victory over Atalanta in the UEFA Champions League in midweek, Mbappe was forced off with a thigh injury in the 36th minute.
The Frenchman was replaced by Rodrygo in midweek, and Ancelotti confirmed that Mbappe had not recovered in time, but was confident the issue was nothing serious.
Camavinga, meanwhile, picked up his injury during Madrid's 2-0 defeat away to Liverpool in November, but has stepped up his recovery and ready to feature for Los Blancos.
"Kylian is not serious, he won't be here tomorrow, but he will travel to Qatar [for Wednesday's FIFA Intercontinental Cup final] and there, we will assess the risk. Camavinga is fine, he's available for tomorrow," Ancelotti said.
"In the past few breaks he's been here, resting, working ... you don't know. Fortunately he will only be out for a short period, and he won't lose what he has achieved in recent times."
Mbappe is Real Madrid's leading scorer with nine league goals in 15 matches so far, although the club trails LaLiga leader Barcelona by two points.
Having lost 2-1 at Athletic Bilbao in the league, it bounced back with a 3-0 win at Girona, followed by the UEFA Champions League victory over Atalanta.
Ancelotti acknowledged that the victory over the Serie A leader could be a big moment in Madrid's season, with its passage to the knockout rounds of Europe's premier club competition not yet being secure.
"We pulled off a tough night. There was a lot of commitment, attitude. Collective work. It was a complete match that adds optimism, of course," he said.
