Why Is Kylian Mbappe Not Playing Tonight for Real Madrid vs. Manchester City?

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Why Is Kylian Mbappe Not Playing Tonight for Real Madrid vs. Manchester City?

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Emmanuel Mendez | Last updated Mar 11, 2026 2:38 PM ET

Real Madrid will be with a thin squad for the match against Manchester City for the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16.

The Spanish team will be without key players who are usually a part of the starting lineup. One of those players in Kylian Mbappe, who has been out of the Real Madrid sqaud for a few weeks.

Mbappe missed the last three Real Madrid games, which includes the second leg of the Champions League kncokout stage playoffs against Benfcia and two La Liga matches against Getafe and Celta Vigo.

Ahead of the match against Manchester City, Mbappe returned to training following a knee sprain injury that kept him out for the last three games.

Kylian Mbappé of Real Madrid is training at Ciudad Real Madrid on March 09, 2026 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by David S. Bustamante/Real Madrid via Getty Images)Photo by David S. Bustamante/Real Madrid via Getty Images

Despite returning to training in the Real Madrid facilities, Mbappe will not play against Manchester City today.

Kylian Mbappe Left Out of Real Madrid Squad

A couple of hours before Real Madrid vs Manchester City, the Spanish club announced the sqaud for the first leg tonight in the Champions League Round of 16.

Real Madrid did not include Kylian Mbappe and the only attackers in the squad for tonight's match are Vinicius Junior, Gonzalo Garcia, Brahim Diaz, and Franco Mastantuono.

✅ ¡Nuestros convocados!
@ManCityES pic.twitter.com/UpV59uAcL2
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) March 11, 2026

Real Madrid will start with Vinicius Junior, Arda Guler, and Brahim in the attack for the match against Manchester City.

✅ ¡Nuestro XI inicial!
@ManCityES pic.twitter.com/gnHgywq11X
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) March 11, 2026

Mbappe's participation against Manchester City in the second leg next week at Etihad Stadium is not ruled out, but the French star is likely to continue his recovery to be at 100% to avoid the risk of a serious injury.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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