Many Arsenal fans are wondering whether Kylian Mbappe can play against them on Wednesday after a dramatic day in La Liga.
Real Madrid scraped to a 1-0 win over Alaves on Sunday thanks to a goal by Eduardo Camavinga in the 34th minute, although Los Blancos were made to work for the points after his fellow Frenchman received a straight red card just four minutes later.
It comes just days before Real Madrid welcome Arsenal to the Santiago Bernabeu for the second leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-final, where the Spanish giants need to overturn a 3-0 deficit.
So, can Kylian Mbappe partake in this game after being sent off against Alaves? Sadly for Arsenal fans, the answer is yes.
Why Kylian Mbappe can play against Arsenal despite red card
The France international is still eligible to face Arsenal despite his red card against Alaves, as La Liga is not a UEFA competition.
Any suspension received in domestic action does not carry over into European football, so while Mbappe is set to miss the next two La Liga outings against Athletic Bilbao and Getafe, as well as the Copa del Rey final against Barcelona, he will be allowed to play against Arsenal.
The same applies to English football, with an example involving Arsenal occurring earlier this season.
William Saliba received a straight red card against Bournemouth back in October, but did not miss Arsenal’s next game as it happened to come against Shakhtar Donetsk in the UEFA Champions League.
Real Madrid vs Arsenal could be make or break for Carlo Ancelotti
Crashing out of the UEFA Champions League at the quarter-final stage could have huge implications in the dugout at Real Madrid.
Arsenal have faced Real Madrid just three times
They’ve never lost and are yet to concede a goal 👏 pic.twitter.com/T5XV0mAGQa
— Premier League (@premierleague) April 8, 2025
Carlo Ancelotti has been told he could be sacked if Arsenal end up progressing into the last four, which may seem harsh, but these are simply the standards set by a side who have won the competition a record 15 times.
Therefore, the Italian may now have extra motivation to pull off a historic comeback.