MADRID, Spain (AFP) — French superstar Kylian Mbappe is poised to return for Real Madrid's Champions League play-off clash at Benfica on Tuesday after resting over the weekend.
The availability of the team's top scorer and best player this season is excellent news for coach Alvaro Arbeloa, but it raises the question of whether Los Blancos lose too much balance when both he and Brazilian winger Vinicius Junior line up in attack together.
That problem is further exacerbated when Jude Bellingham is available too, but the England international is injured and will not feature against Jose Mourinho's side in Lisbon.
All three stars lined up for Madrid in the league phase against Benfica in late January, as Los Blancos fell to a damaging 4-2 defeat that left them facing a play-off round tie against the same opponents.
Mbappe struck twice for Madrid in that match and is the Champions League top marksman with 13 goals.
However Madrid were outplayed and unpicked by Mourinho's side, who secured their own play-off round spot thanks to Ukrainian goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin's stunning 98th-minute header.
With Mbappe an unused substitute against
Real Sociedad on Saturday because of knee discomfort, Vinicius shone as Arbeloa's team ran out comfortable 4-1 winners at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The Brazilian won and converted two penalties in one of his best displays of a mixed campaign.
"Since I've arrived he's had games at a really high level... he's a player who goes beyond the statistics, how he can change a game, condition opponents, the number of players he can attract," enthused Arbeloa.