Real Madrid handed Jude Bellingham injury boost ahead of Champions League opener

Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham is set to be available for the opening game of the club's Champions League defence this week after a month out with a muscle problem.

Bellingham has not featured since Madrid's first La Liga game of the season against Mallorca on 18 August, having suffered a muscle complaint in his right leg in training a few days later.

The England international has missed four La Liga fixtures since, as well as UEFA Nations League games earlier this month. By his own admission, Bellingham suggested the injury setback was his body's way of telling him he needed to rest after a busy first year in Spain and summer at Euro 2024, subsequently missing pre-season and starting 2024/25 with only a minimal break.

Estimates at the time of his leg issue suggested a mid-September return after the international break and that appears to have been accurate. AS has reported that Bellingham trained as normal on Monday without any issues or limitations, putting him in contention to face Stuttgart on Tuesday.

Whether he starts the game straight off the bat will be down to Carlo Ancelotti ahead of the contest. There are also positives about Aurelien Tchouameni, who has recovered from his own injury problem but again may not necessarily jump straight into the starting lineup.

One who is expected to start is Eder Militao, who has been declared "100%" ready following his withdrawal from international duty with Brazil. The centre-back will likely start alongside Antonio Rudiger at the back, easing the headache for Ancelotti given that David Alaba is still sidelined.

Madrid will hope to get off to the flying start in the re-formatted Champions League, in which clubs have been assigned eight 'league phase' opponents as they jostle for places in the 36-team standings. The top 24 advance to knockout stages, while the top eight go straight into the last 16.

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