Madrid rightback dilema as Mbappe reaches half century

ENGLAND international fullback Trent Alexander-Arnold suffered a hamstring injury in Real Madrid’s Champions League victory over Marseille, the club said yesterday.

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The former Liverpool star lasted just four minutes of Tuesday night's 2-1 victory over the French side as the record 15-time champions opened their continental campaign with a hard-fought victory.

That was despite being reduced to 10 men when Dani Carvajal, who had replaced Alexander-Arnold, was dismissed with 18 minutes left.

“After the tests conducted today on our player Trent Alexander-Arnold by Real Madrid’s medical service, he has been diagnosed with a hamstring injury in his left leg,” the club said in a statement.

Local press reported that Alexander-Arnold would be out for about three weeks.

He was signed in the close season to provide competition for Carvajal, who suffered a long-term injury last season.

Both right-backs will now miss Real’s second Champions League encounter away to Kazakhs Kairat Almaty on September 30.

Despite the right-back dilema, two Kylian Mbappe penalties gave Madrid a narrow win over Marseille while Juventus and Borussia Dortmund drawing an eight-goal thriller.

Arsenal won 2-0 away to Athletic Bilbao as the league phase of this season’s Champions League kicked off.