Injury Updates Provided on Real Madrid Stars

Madrid, Spain – Real Madrid’s medical bulletin released on Thursday has clarified the timelines for several high-profile absentees, offering both relief and fresh concern ahead of the club’s UEFA Champions League knockout push.

After Wednesday night’s 2-1 home victory over Benfica sealed a 3-1 aggregate passage to the round of 16, interim coach Alvaro Arbeloa admitted his squad had been stretched by a spate of injuries and suspensions. Kylian Mbappé, Jude Bellingham, Éder Militão and Dani Ceballos were all unavailable, while Rodrygo served a ban carried over from the first leg.

COPE radio reports that the prognosis for the latter three remains ominous: Bellingham, Ceballos and Militão will not recover in time for the round-of-16 fixtures scheduled 10–11 and 17–18 March. Militão’s situation is especially delicate; the Brazilian centre-back is expected to sit out “at least” the opening leg of a potential quarter-final, pushing his return beyond the March international break and into early April.

The update is more encouraging for Mbappé. The forward’s thigh issue is projected to sideline him for 10–14 days, placing him in contention for the first knockout tie. He is set to miss league encounters with Getafe and Celta de Vigo, after which the club will re-evaluate his readiness.

Arbeloa, who promoted 20-year-old striker Gonzalo García into the senior fold, could hand the academy product additional minutes during Mbappé’s brief lay-off. García has contributed six goals and two assists in 1,084 minutes across all competitions this season—production the staff hope can soften the blow of missing firepower.

Yet the defensive void left by Militão looms large, while Bellingham’s creative influence was notably absent in last weekend’s stumble at Osasuna. With the Champions League bracket set to pit Madrid against either Sporting CP or Manchester City in the round of 16, the timing of these recoveries may shape the club’s European fate.

Real Madrid will continue to monitor each player’s rehabilitation daily, but Thursday’s bulletin underscores a simple reality: the road to the final in Munich will likely be navigated without several of its most influential names for at least the next phase.

Keywords: