Mbappe aiming for Copa del Rey final return: Ancelotti

MADRID: Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said striker Kylian Mbappe is poised to return from injury to face rivals Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final on Saturday.

Mbappe missed Madrid’s win over Athletic Bilbao on Sunday in La Liga and will not be available for the visit to face Getafe on Wednesday. The French superstar was substituted with an ankle problem during Madrid’s Champions League elimination by Arsenal last week, but along with compatriot Ferland Mendy, should be fit for the Clasico.

“For tomorrow’s game they will not be ready, but they will train on these days, and I think they will be available for the game on Saturday,” Ancelotti told a news conference on Tuesday. Mbappe was whistled by some Madrid fans when he appeared on screens at the Santiago Bernabeu during Madrid’s 1-0 win against Athletic, which kept them four points behind leaders Barcelona in the title race. “Mbappe is hurting because of his injury, because he cannot help the team -- he’s doing everything he can to be ready for Saturday,” continued Ancelotti.

Without Mbappe, their top scorer this season with 33 goals, and using an extra midfielder, Madrid were more solid defensively against Athletic. “I think the problems we have had this season have been quite evident,” said Ancelotti.

“We have changed the way we play a bit because we have players with different characteristics. “We’ve found it difficult to find this balance, and I hope we can find it in the run-in, because we’ve got a lot on the line... in the games that are left, if we don’t have it, it will be hard to win.”