Kylian Mbappe has been dealt a blow on the eve of Real Madrid’s Champions League second leg clash with Arsenal after being handed a suspension by La Liga chiefs
Kylian Mbappe has been handed a one-match ban on the eve of Real Madrid’s huge clash with Arsenal. Los Blancos host the Gunners at the Bernabeu on Wednesday evening for the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final.
The Premier League side hold a dominant three-goal lead heading into their trip to the Spanish capital. Mbappe was a bright spark for Madrid at the Emirates last week, but still attracted intense criticism for his performance.
Things went from bad to worse for the Frenchman on Sunday as Madrid claimed a narrow win over Alaves. Mbappe was sent off just 38 minutes into the game after putting in a dreadful tackle on Antonio Blanco.
Following a VAR review, Mbappe was dismissed by referee Juan Martinez Munuera, as the away side fought on with a man less in Vitoria. Images after the game show Mbappe seeking out Blanco to apologise for the incident with the Alaves player seeming to accept that.
Mbappe has now discovered his fate after the matter was refereed to the Spanish FA’s disciplinary committee. They have now delivered their ruling, in the build-up to Wednesday’s huge game.
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The Frenchman will be available for that fixture, but has been handed a one-match domestic ban. That will rule him out of the clash with Athletic Bilabo this coming weekend.
The discipline committee opted to hand the 26-year-old a minimum sanction after Soto Grado’s report made it clear that the ball was involved. That meant that Mbappe’s ban could not be longer than three matches.
It means that Mbappe will be able to play in the Copa del Rey final against Barcelona in 11 days’ time. Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti revealed his superstar attacker had been left disappointed by his actions as he issued a rallying call to his team.
“He’s hurt and disappointed; he trained very well yesterday. We need him because it’s not just about defending here; we have to score goals… and more than ever, we need his goals tomorrow,” Ancelotti said.
“We’ll try to play an intense match, applying pressure and having more control than in the first leg. No magic, because it doesn’t exist. Real Madrid has all the resources to turn this tie around.
“We have the quality, the commitment, the experience of many players, and the fans. The resources are there; we just have to bring out the best in each of us. In previous years, they didn’t say we played spectacular football, which may be the truth.
“More than spectacular, we want to play effective football. What I want to explain to the players is to have a clear strategy for the match. We’re thinking about it. We’re going to try something out in training, and I want the players to take the field with very clear ideas.
“I’ll try to explain it as clearly as possible. With clarity, the player is capable of achieving better individual performance. The Bernabéu has magic; everyone knows it’s a special atmosphere. Tomorrow we need a bit of everything: quality and a complete performance, both physically and collectively. Not one of these things can go wrong.”
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