Mbappe ruled out of Super Cup semi v Atletico

Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe is set to miss Thursday’s Spanish Super Cup semi-final against Atletico Madrid as he continues to recover from a knee injury, with the club naming their travelling squad to Saudi Arabia without the Frenchman.

The 27-year-old France captain, who equalled Cristiano Ronaldo’s club record of 59 goals in a calendar year for Real in their 2-0 LaLiga win over Sevilla on December 20, has a sprain in his left knee. The injury also ruled him out of Sunday’s 5-1 LaLiga home victory over Real Betis.

In a boost for manager Xabi Alonso, summer signing Trent Alexander-Arnold has been included in the squad. The England right back, 27, had been sidelined since early December with a thigh muscle injury in his left leg and was initially expected to miss two months.

Real lost last year’s Spanish Super Cup final 5-2 to rivals Barcelona. Barcelona face Athletic Bilbao in the second semi-final on Wednesday, with the final scheduled for Sunday in Jeddah.

REAL SQUAD

Goalkeepers: Thibaut Courtois, Andriy Lunin, Fran Gonzalez.

Defenders: Dani Carvajal, David Alaba, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Raul Asencio, Alvaro Carreras, Fran Garcia, Antonio Rudiger, Ferland Mendy, Dean Huijsen, David Jimenez.

Midfielders: Jude Bellingham, Eduardo Camavinga, Federico Valverde, Aurelien Tchouameni, Arda Guler, Dani Ceballos, Thiago.

Forwards: Vinicius Jr., Rodrygo, Gonzalo Garcia, Franco Mastantuono.