Kylian Mbappe poised to face Manchester City on Real Madrid's home turf

Kylian Mbappe is poised to make his return from a knee injury as Real Madrid seeks to eliminate Manchester City in the Champions League last-16 second leg on Tuesday, following a three-week absence that included Real's 3-0 win over City in the first leg in Madrid last week.

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With 38 goals in 33 appearances this season, the France forward is set to feature at the Etihad Stadium, much to the delight of Real boss Alvaro Arbeloa, who confirmed Mbappe's readiness to play on Monday.

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Arbeloa expressed his eagerness to see Mbappe back in action, acknowledging the forward's importance and anticipating his goal-scoring prowess, saying "I cannot wait to see him back on the pitch, to enjoy watching him play, to score the goals he scores."

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England midfielder Jude Bellingham has also joined the Real squad as he recovers from a hamstring problem, although he is not yet ready to feature against City, with Arbeloa revealing that Bellingham wanted to be with his team-mates and is getting closer to the team.

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Arbeloa views Bellingham's presence as a positive, noting that the midfielder will be a leader among his team-mates, even if he is not playing, and will be involved in team-talks and half-time discussions.

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Real Madrid is expected to knock Manchester City out of the Champions League for the third successive season, having established a substantial advantage in the first leg, and will look to capitalize on this lead on Tuesday.

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Real defender Antonio Rudiger believes that stopping City striker Erling Haaland is crucial to victory, particularly after Haaland's recent poor form, and is relishing the challenge of facing the Norwegian forward.

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Rudiger described Haaland as a "world-class striker" and expressed his enthusiasm for the physical battle, saying "I like the physical battle, I want it and need it, the same as him."

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Rudiger also addressed recent claims made by Getafe defender Diego Rico, who accused him of committing an "assault" in a challenge earlier this month, with Rudiger downplaying the incident and suggesting that Rico exaggerated the severity of the challenge.

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Rudiger acknowledged that the challenge may have looked bad in slow motion, but argued that his intention was not to harm Rico, saying "if I'd had the intention to do that he wouldn't have stood up."

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Rudiger maintained that he is a tough but fair player, with boundaries, and disputed Rico's characterization of the incident, saying "We all know I like to be tough on the pitch but I still have boundaries, I am a human being."