Real Madrid forward has been sidelined due to a case of acute gastroenteritis
Kylian Mbappe could make his Club World Cup debut for Real Madrid in the round of 16 tie against Juventus on Tuesday.
Head coach Xabi Alonso confirmed that there is a “big possibility” the 26-year-old will be fit for the showdown in Miami Gardens after recovering from illness.
Mbappe was sidelined through the group stage after being diagnosed with acute gastroenteritis on the eve of the tournament. Madrid have advanced from Group H ahead of Al-Hilal, Pachuca and RB Salzburg. They are now up against Italian side Juventus and their leading goalscorer last season could yet play an important role in helping them advance to the quarter-finals.
“Kylian is doing well now and we are speaking every single day,” Alonso said in his pre-match press conference. “We will talk to him in the morning to make the final decision.
“It’s a big possibility that he makes his Club World Cup debut tomorrow, though. I don’t know how much, but it’s a big possibility.”
Alonso is still finding his feet in the Madrid dugout after taking over from Carlo Ancelotti at the end of last season. Madrid started the Club World Cup poorly but finished top of Group H after winning their second and third group games against Pachuca and RB Salzburg. But Alonso said that Tuesday’s knockout tie was all-important.
“Every single match is now all or nothing,” Alonso said. “It’s a huge match and we have been prepping for the last few weeks to be ready for tomorrow.
“We are at the knockout stage now, last 16 against a top team like Juve, so we will have to have a very complete performance to go through.”
Alonso, a Club World Cup winner himself with Real Madrid as a player in 2014, is under no illusions about the expectations that come with the job, even in a tournament that has only recently grown in profile.
“This match is important. It’s a very different competition to those we normally play in, but Real Madrid is very demanding and you are expected to win,” said Alonso.
“This is our third week together. I am pumped, very excited, but there are so many things that you have to manage – footballers, so many people, based on trust for the future.”
The transition from Leverkusen, where Alonso guided the club to a historic Bundesliga title unbeaten, to Madrid’s high-pressure environment was always going to be challenging on the Spaniard. But he believes the opportunity to play in this one-month tournament is helping him settle, as well as helping the squad become familiar with his vision.
“We are spending a lot of time together, so that’s helping us speed up the process,” said Alonso. “So far it has been very challenging. With such an intense competition in a short time, being able to build our principles is challenging.
“We are building connections in these early stages, but we are reaching a moment where we have to show it.”
