Kylian Mbappe has been included in the Real Madrid squad for the Intercontinental Cup final on Wednesday.
The European champions face Mexico’s Pachuca — the CONCACAF Champions Cup winners — at Lusail Stadium in Doha, Qatar.
There had been fears Mbappe could miss the game after being forced off with a thigh injury during Madrid’s Champions League victory over Atalanta last week.
The 25-year-old opened the scoring for the Spanish champions in the 3-2 win in Bergamo but was substituted off nine minutes before half-time.
However, the forward has been included in the group for the final of the new annual tournament that is replacing the now updated and quadrennial Club World Cup.
It remains to be seen how much part — if any — Mbappe plays with manager Carlo Ancelotti likely to provide an update in his pre-match press conference on Tuesday.
📋✅ Our squad for the #FIFAIntercontinentalCup!
🆚 @Tuzos pic.twitter.com/MTQ6o8m4GG— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) December 16, 2024
A thigh injury that Mbappe sustained in September was expected to result in him missing around three weeks of action, but the Frenchman returned earlier than expected and faced Lille in the Champions League on October 2. This time he has been deemed fit to return after a little over a week.
The France national team captain has scored 12 goals across all competitions for Ancelotti’s side this season following his summer arrival at the Santiago Bernabeu after the expiry of his contract at Paris Saint-Germain.
Vinicius Junior, who has also been sidelined with injury in recent weeks but returned in Tuesday’s Champions League victory over Atalanta, is also part of the squad.
Following Wednesday’s game, Madrid’s final match of the calendar year will see them host Sevilla in the league on Sunday.
(Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
