The France international has been battling a knee injury for the past three months and will take no part in the Champions League play-off second leg
Bookmark popover
Your support helps us to tell the story
Read moreSupport Now
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
**Your support makes all the difference.**Read more
Kylian Mbappe will miss Real Madrid’s Champions League play-off second leg with Benfica with injury.
Madrid are leading 1-0 after a fractious first leg in Lisbon which saw goalscorer Vinicius Jr accused Benfica’s Argentine winger Gianluca Prestianni of racist abuse.
Prestianni has been suspended for one game – the second leg – pending an investigation by Uefa. The 20-year-old has denied racially abusing Vinicius and claimed to have been misheard.
Mbappe backed up Vinicius’s claim of hearing Prestianni use racist language, adding: Prestianni shouldn’t come to the Bernabeu, the best stadium in the world, he doesn't deserve it, he shouldn't play.”
Prestianni trained with his teammates on the Bernabeu pitch on Tuesday ahead of Wednesday’s match, but will not be able to take part in the game unless Benfica’s appeal against his suspension is upheld.
And Mbappe will also miss the match with a knee injury. The France captain has been nursing a knee problem which has kept him out of several matches over the past three months.
Jude Bellingham remains unavailable due to a hamstring injury, while forward Rodrygo is serving a two-match suspension for insulting a match official during the 4–2 loss to Benfica in the group stage.