Jude Bellingham sensationally tipped to play in Real Madrid’s Champions League match by RB Leipzig boss Marco Rose - despite recent injury setback

Bellingham picked up an ankle injury in Real Madrid's crucial La Liga win over title rivals Girona at the weekend. A two to three week absence is expected, although the English midfielder was reported to be "one millimetre away" from ligament damage that could have equated to a much longer layoff. But even though Bellingham is likely out until March, Rose still finds it hard to believe that he wont play in the first leg of the last 16 on Tuesday.

Rose told reporters on Monday: "I don't believe he'll be out until he's not in the stadium tomorrow. I know Jude, he will do everything to play the Champions League game. He might see other doctors today in order to be fit. I've read a lot but we’ll see if he’s here or not."

Rose does indeed know Bellingham well - he picked the former Birmingham City prodigy 44 times during his single season as Borussia Dortmund coach in 2021/22. That also means he knows just how resilient Bellingham is. There were concerns about a lingering knee injury when he signed for Real Madrid last summer but it didn't slow down his exceptional start. A dislocated shoulder in November also only kept him out of one game.

Bellingham will be determined to get back on the pitch as soon as possible and has already vowed that he will be "back in no time". If two or three weeks is an accurate recovery timeframe and he doesn't shock the world (but not Rose) with a rapid return, Bellingham looks set to miss up to five games in total. These include Rayo Vallecano, Sevilla and Valencia in La Liga, as well as both legs of the RB Leipzig tie in the Champions League.