Real Madrid welcomes Getafe this Monday in the Madrid derby that closes matchday 26 of the League, and will do so without Kylian Mbappé. The Frenchman continues to suffer from ailments in his left knee and the timetable for his return is not yet known, despite the fact that in the press conference prior to the duel, the white coach, Álvaro Arbeloa, assured that “they are very clear about what is happening to him.”
And since he was dropped from the squad against Benfica at the last minute last Tuesday, the rumors about the Madrid striker’s injury have not stopped. Without medical part but with the well-defined affected area, his left knee. Mbappé has no return deadline and his goals, 23 in the League to date, are key to keeping the team in the fight for the lead with Barcelona.
The issue of his injury was the focus of the press conference prior to the Madrid derby against Getafe, where Arbeloa had to respond to the questions raised about the extent of the Frenchman’s injury. “We are very clear about what is happening to him. We want him to recover from these discomforts so that he returns with confidence,” he assured of the Madrid coach.
Mbappé, without a return date
An answer that gave no clues about his possible return, which led to the next question. Will he arrive in time for the momentous round of 16 match in the Champions League against Manchester City, which is in just ten days?
Well, Arbeloa’s response followed the same steps and did not clarify the date of his possible return. “Let’s go day by day. It’s a matter of seeing how you find yourself. Right now it is better not to give deadlines, we want to see your feelings and based on that we will decide,” he insisted.
But it is not the only setback for Real Madrid, who will not be able to count on Asencio to receive Getafe either, who is still recovering from the strong collision he suffered with Camavinga in the other day’s match against Benfica and for which he had to be taken to the hospital. Huijsen could return to play after missing two games in a row, after completing the training session with the rest of the team.
Arbeloa’s options in the center of defense could go through the veteran couple Rüdiger – Alaba. The Austrian already had to come out in place of the youth player against the Portuguese.
Furthermore, these casualties join those already known of the Englishman Jude Bellingham, the Brazilian Éder Militao and Dani Ceballos.
Madrid cannot let Barcelona escape
A complicated commitment that Madrid has against Getafe, in which it cannot allow a new setback like the one last day against Osasuna, where it lost the leadership it had regained the previous week after Barça’s defeat against Girona.
Now, Barcelona has not failed and has performed outstandingly in its difficult match on Saturday against Villarreal, which it beat 4-1, with Lamina Yamal’s first hat-trick. Those of Hansi Flick lead the table, with 64 pointsfour more than the ‘merengues’.
For its part, Getafe cannot waste a single point either. The team from the south of Madrid has 29 points and is only five away from relegation, so it is crucial to continue adding to avoid reaching the last stage of the League like last season, when they did not confirm their permanence until the end.
Their coach, José Bordalás, assured in the press conference prior to the clash that despite the fact that there is “an abysmal difference” with Real Madrid, “one of the best teams in the history of football”, they hope to be able to “control all the details” to achieve a “positive result”.
