Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said striker Kylian Mbappe is poised to return from injury to face rivals Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final on Saturday.

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti praised his team's character after their hard-fought 1-0 win over Athletic Bilbao on Sunday, keeping their LaLiga title hopes alive while responding in the best possible way to their Champions League exit.

Barcelona will be aiming to open up a seven-point lead at the top of LaLiga table when they welcome Europe-chasing Celta Vigo on Saturday.

Jurgen Klopp is "very happy" in his current post at Red Bull despite rumours linking him to a return to management with Real Madrid, his agent said Friday.

Real Madrid suffered their 12th defeat of the season, by contrast to just two across the whole of the previous campaign.

Real have failed to claim a Champions League win in their three meetings with English side Arsenal, who are aiming for their first semi-final appearance since 2009.

A violent tackle that had Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappe sent off in their 1-0 LaLiga win at Deportivo Alaves on Sunday was a consequence of a number of small fouls committed against the Frenchman, said assistant coach Davide Ancelotti.

"I shouldn’t talk about things about my future, because the contract is quite clear. Whatever it is, it will be talked about at the end of the season," Ancelotti told reporters on Saturday.

"The possibilities (of qualifying) are quite low, but we have to try 100%," he told reporters

Real Madrid have set the bar sky high with six Champions League titles in a decade and their demanding fans have been voicing concerns as last year's European and Spanish champions struggle for consistency this season.

Wednesday’s high-voltage Champions League first-leg quarterfinals lineup will feature defending champions Real Madrid taking on Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium. Here we take a look at a few highlights ahead of the contest:

Ancelotti acknowledged that winning LaLiga had become a long shot but that it should not affect their Copa del Rey and Champions League campaigns.

Rivals Real Madrid and Barcelona, locked in a title battle in La Liga and set to face off in the Copa del Rey final, have "a lot of respect" for each other, says Los Blancos coach Carlo Ancelotti.

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti's tax fraud trial wrapped up Thursday in Spain, with public prosecutors maintaining their demand he be jailed for four years and nine months for allegedly hiding income from the tax office.

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti denied in court having intentionally committed tax fraud on the opening day of his trial for allegedly failing to declare income to Spain's tax office, the latest in a string of such cases targeting sports figures in the country.

Prosecutors are seeking a jail term of four years and nine months for the 65-year-old Italian, accusing him of costing Spain's treasury more than one million euros ($1.1 million) due to undeclared earnings from image rights in 2014 and 2015.

Mbappe idolised Ronaldo while growing up and after joining Madrid from Paris Saint-Germain last summer, has equalled the Portuguese striker's tally of 33 goals in his first season at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti will go on trial next week for allegedly failing to declare income to Spain's tax office, the Madrid court which will hear the case said Friday.

Following Real's 2-1 comeback win at Villarreal, thanks to Kylian Mbappe's brace, the coach was concerned about his side's physical condition following Wednesday's shootout win over Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.

UEFA on Thursday said it would consider a potential rule change after Atletico Madrid forward Julian Alvarez's penalty was controversially disallowed in their Champions League shootout loss to Real Madrid.