CORNERFLICK
Real Madrid expect Kylian Mbappe to be fit for the first Clasico of the season on 25 October after medical checks eased fears over the knee injury he picked up for France.
Medical update
Mbappe came off during France’s 1-0 Nations League win over Turkey after feeling pain in his left knee following the match-winning goal. Madrid later said scans showed an overstretched posterior capsule in the same knee, with no fixed timeline set for his return.
According to AS, the injury is not considered serious and the forward’s recovery is expected to take around 10 to 12 days. That would leave roughly a month before Barcelona host Madrid at Spotify Camp Nou.
France withdrawal
Initial checks also ruled out a serious ligament problem. L’Équipe reported that tests in Turkey excluded an ACL tear, and Mbappe has now left the France camp to continue treatment with Madrid’s medical staff.
He will miss France’s remaining three fixtures in this international window against Belgium, Italy and Belgium again. Madrid plan to manage his recovery carefully through a busy October schedule, with the Clasico still the main target.