Mbappé Ready for Club World Cup Debut as Madrid Face Juventus

Kylian Mbappé has a high chance of making his FIFA Club World Cup debut when Real Madrid faces Juventus in the round of 16 — a match set to take place at Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens.

The 26-year-old striker previously missed Madrid’s three group matches against Al Hilal, Pachuca, and RB Salzburg due to acute gastroenteritis. Los Blancos advanced to the knockout phase as Group H winners.

“Kylian is doing well now and we communicate every day. We will talk to him tomorrow morning for the final decision. There’s a big possibility he will debut tomorrow, though I don’t know for how long,” said Xabi Alonso.

Madrid’s new coach who replaced Carlo Ancelotti emphasized the importance of this match — “Every match now is do or die. This is a big game and we have been preparing for the last few weeks.”

Meanwhile, Juventus coach Igor Tudor praised Luka Modric who will leave Madrid for AC Milan after this tournament — “What can you say about Luka? With Croatia’s population less than 4 million, someone like him brings a lot of pride to the country.”