Certainly no shortage of storylines for Real Madrid right now! Carlo Ancelotti is exiting while Kylian Mbappe is suspended for Sunday, and also may be injured, at least to some degree. So let’s just get straight into it, and not mess around here. With the club exiting from the UEFA Champions League last night, now Ancelotti is exiting too, according to Sky Sports.
The report states that Ancelotti will leave after the El Clasico Copa del Rey final on April 26.
Real Madrid vs Athletic Club FYIs
Kickoff: Sun. April 20, Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain
Real Madrid Preview Content: Team News Starting Lineup Prediction
Google’s Result Probability: Real Madrid 58% Draw 23% Athletic Club 19%
La Liga Positioning, Form Guide: Real Madrid 2nd, 66 pts WLWWW Athletic Club 3rd, 63 pts LLDDW
Ancelotti
So he won’t even be staying on for the rest of the season, which is surprising, given how he had a contract that ran until the end of next season. So if all this holds, he’ll miss out on the second La Liga El Clasico, which is May 11. The report indicates that Ancelotti is in line take the head coaching job with the Brazilian national team. It does not indicate who the potential successor to Ancelotti will be, either in the interim or for the long-term.
The clash against Athletic Club will be one of the last three matches in which Ancelotti will be in charge.
Mbappe
Mbappe will of course serve a one-match ban this weekend, due to the reckless challenge he had on Blanco last weekend in the win over Alaves. Everyone has an opinion this ruling, including FC Barcelona Vice President Rafa Yuste, who said the decision was “a disgrace.” Obviously, Yuste thinks Mbappe should have been handed a longer suspension.
Also, the Frenchman superstar had to be subbed off, due to injury, in the elimination loss to Arsenal last night. He walked off with a noticeable limp. However, he was walking by his own power, so that’s a good sign.
Meanwhile Andriy Lunin, Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao and Ferland Mendy remain sidelined as long-term injury absentees.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.