Carlo Ancelotti confirms Kylian Mbappe absence ahead of Copa final

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed that both Kylian Mbappe and Ferland Mendy will not be present for their clash on Wednesday night against Getafe, as they do their best to make it back for the Copa del Rey final. On Saturday they take on Barcelona in Seville, but the French duo are expected to be back.

Mbappe sustained an ankle strain last week against Arsenal, forcing him off in the Champions League, and out of their win over Athletic Club. Meanwhile Ferland Mendy has been out of action for the past month after picking up a hamstring problem. Both trained with the rest of the team on Tuesday.

“They’re not ready for tomorrow, but they’ll be training these days, and I think they’ll both be available for Saturday’s game,” Ancelotti told the media on Tuesday.

Mbappe was whistled as he left the pitch against Arsenal, and again on Sunday when his image came up on the big screen at the Santiago Bernabeu. Ancelotti said the only thing he was hurt by was his injury, rather than the reaction.

“He’s hurting from the injury because he can’t help the team. He’s doing everything he can to be ready on Saturday.”

Ancelotti also discussed his options at left-back, with Mendy, Eduardo Camavinga and Fran Garcia all in contention against Barcelona.

“[Fran Garcia] has improved. He’s played more and has almost always performed well. In some games, I used Camavinga because of the different characteristics the two have. Camavinga is more accustomed to playing inside, and sometimes when you play Vinicius on the outside, Fran has more trouble showing his quality.”

While Mendy has generally been Ancelotti’s first choice in big games when fit, there is no clarity on how ready he will be after a month out for the Copa final. David Alaba was used there against Arsenal, but many saw the use of Camavinga there as a hint that Ancelotti may be considering him there for the final.