There are strong indications that French football star Kylian Mbappe will play for Real Madrid (Madrid) in tomorrow's Intercontinental Cup final, which pits the European champions against Pachuca (Mexico), reports the AP agency, quoted by BTA.
Mbappe suffered a left thigh injury during the Champions League match with Atalanta on December 10, after which he did not play. Even then, the head coach of the White Ballet Carlo Ancelotti predicted that Mbappe would return for tomorrow's match.
The tournament is now being held in a new format, bringing together the champions of all six football confederations. It is held every year, while the larger Club World Cup will be held every four years.
Real Madrid will advance directly to the final tomorrow without having to play any matches as European champions, while Pachuca (Mexico) advanced by defeating South American champions Botafogo and Egyptian Al Ahly in the preliminary rounds of the tournament, which is being held in Qatar.
After missing the match with Rayo Vallecano from the Primera Division at the weekend, Mbappe trained with the main group again yesterday and today. In all likelihood, the French star, however difficult it may be to break into the Real team, will be on the pitch from the first minute, given the absence of other key players who have suffered injuries, including Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao, David Alaba and Ferland Mendy.
In addition to Mbappe, Thibaut Courtois will probably also take the field. The Belgian goalkeeper recently returned from a muscle injury that sidelined him for several matches.
Ancelotti has added several players from the club's youth and second-tier squads to his squad for the final against Pachuca, who will likely get minutes given the upcoming matches against Valencia and Sevilla, as well as the lack of a break in the Spanish La Liga.
Real Madrid won the Intercontinental Cup three times (1960, 1998 and 2002) before FIFA began organising the Club World Cup. There they lifted the trophy in the new format three times - in 2014, 2016, 2017-18 and 2022.
The Mexican club's most serious achievement in this tournament was in 2017, when they took 3rd place.