Jude Bellingham Traveling With Real Madrid Squad to Face Manchester City

Real Madrid announced their squad to face Manchester City for the second leg of the Champions League Round of 16 game. There were some expected additions, but one surprise for Los Blancos players.

Midfielder Jude Bellingham's name was on the squad list, with images surfacing later of him boarding the flight heading to Manchester. It was a shock, with reports suggesting he would be out of the second leg, focusing more on a return for the Madrid derby on March 22.

The question for Alvaro Arbeloa is whether we will see the 22-year-old during the game. I'm sure it's something he will be asked by the media on the eve of the match.

Bellingham and Mbappe Could Start on the Bench

Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe — IMAGO / AFLOSPORT

Kylian Mbappe was also named in the squad, as reported over the weekend. The French striker missed the La Liga game against Elche, but Alvaro Arbeloa did say he was working hard to be available for the Champions League game.

There is a chance that both Mbappe and Jude Bellingham start on the bench. With Los Blancos leading 3-0 after the first leg, there is no need to rush either player back into the starting lineup.

If the game starts to get close, Mbappe could be called upon. However, the hope is that Los Blancos can keep their opponents at arm's length as they head into the final stages. Then Arbeloa may give the leading scorer in the competition some playing time, just to get some minutes under his belt before they face Atletico Madrid at the weekend.

📋✅ Our squad for the match!
🆚 @ManCity pic.twitter.com/piuAcfkFOm
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) March 16, 2026

That could be the same for Bellingham, who may have been taken for that reason. The England international has been missing since the start of February after injuring his hamstring against Rayo Vallecano. Due to the time missing, he will most definitely start on the bench.

Another big boost for Arbeloa is left back Alvaro Carreras being available. He missed both the first leg and the Elche game with a calf injury. It comes at a crucial time, with his replacement in the first leg, Ferland Mendy out injured, leaving just Fran Garcia available at left-back.

Center-back Raul Asencio misses out, as reported with a calf injury. It likely means Antonio Rudiger and Dean Huijsen start again. David Alaba is back in the squad, so some experienced cover if a change is needed during the game. Youth player Diego Aguado is also available.