Kylian Mbappe looks set to miss the second leg of Real Madrid’s Champions League play-off with Benfica after picking up a knee injury in training. Madrid hosts Benfica at the Bernabeu on Wednesday night, holding a 1-0 lead from the first leg in Lisbon.

Mbappe left training early on Tuesday because of pain in his left knee. L’Equipe reports that he had tests that afternoon, and the results were pretty clear: there’s no way he’ll play against Benfica.

That’s a big shift from what Madrid manager Alvaro Arbeloa said just hours before. In his press conference, Arbeloa insisted Mbappe was ready and had been pushing through the pain for weeks.

“Kylian is ready to play tomorrow, and really, that’s what matters most right now. He’s been here for weeks, and everyone can see the commitment he’s showing to his teammates, to the team, to me, to the club, and to the fans. I want to point out just how hard Kylian is working. He’s trying to help us out there.

“He changes the game. Any defender facing him knows he can decide things in a second. He’s ready for tomorrow; we’ll need him, and he’ll have a great game.”

Meanwhile, Benfica comes to Madrid under a cloud. The first leg was marred by Vinicius Junior’s claim that Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni racially abused him after Vinicius scored the only goal. Prestianni has been handed a provisional one-match Champions League ban, though he denies the accusation. He says he actually directed a homophobic slur at Vinicius after being called a “dwarf” by the Brazilian. That defence probably won’t hold, and he could end up with a longer ban.

Arbeloa and Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois both spoke about the incident on Tuesday. Arbeloa said, “We have a chance to make a real difference in the fight against racism. UEFA always says it’s fighting racism, but this is a moment to go beyond slogans or banners. I hope they take it.

“For us, the focus is on playing at a high level and doing the job on the pitch so we can win. That’s where our energy is going. The rest, honestly, isn’t our responsibility. That’s for UEFA to decide.”

Courtois added, “A lot of things haven’t been handled well. Racism and homophobia – none of that is acceptable, and the insult is just as serious. Vini didn’t do anything wrong. He celebrated the way plenty of opponents have celebrated against us. In the end, we have to move forward. You can’t excuse an act of racism because of a celebration.”

Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni says he used homophobic language against Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior because the Brazilian called him a "dwarf". This all happened during last week’s Champions League knockout round play-off, a match already clouded by allegations of racist abuse. Prestianni’s defence, though, doesn’t look like it’ll hold up.

UEFA didn’t waste time. They handed Prestianni a provisional suspension after accusations that he racially abused Vinicius. Cameras caught Prestianni talking with his shirt over his mouth right before Vinicius went to referee François Letexier, who kicked off the anti-racism protocol.

Prestianni insists he’s innocent. He claims Vinicius just misunderstood what he said during their heated exchange.

The whole thing blew up right after Vinicius scored the match’s only goal at Estadio da Luz. Jose Mourinho jumped into the fray, blaming Vinicius for provoking the home fans with his celebration. Mourinho also argued that Benfica couldn’t possibly be a racist club because their legendary player Eusebio was black.

Not surprisingly, Mourinho’s comments and Benfica’s public support for Prestianni sparked heavy criticism across the football world. Meanwhile, Real Madrid players have rallied behind Vinicius and spoken out loudly against racism.

Now, Prestianni says Vinicius insulted him over his height, and that he fired back with "maricon", a homophobic slur, instead of “mono” (Spanish for “monkey”), which is what Vinicius and teammate Kylian Mbappe claim they heard. Mbappe also says he heard the abusive language.

UEFA rules are clear: both racist and homophobic slurs break Article 14 and lead to long bans. Taunting someone about their size or height, though, doesn’t fall under those rules.

Benfica’s leadership is doubling down, sticking with Prestianni. President Rui Costa slammed the decision to ban the 20-year-old for the next match, saying, "I wasn’t on the field, so I can’t say exactly what was said. In moments like that, anything can happen. We trust our player; he’s being branded a racist, but that’s not who he is. We’ve always stood by him and kept him in the loop, and I’m only speaking up now because there’s been a decision, even if it’s not the final word, and, in our view, it’s unfair. There’s only a suspension, not a sentence, so I didn’t see the point in speaking earlier.”

But Real Madrid’s goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois isn’t buying any of it. He shot down Prestianni’s defence, saying, “It’s just as serious; homophobic insults are unacceptable. I saw the images from the Benfica stands, and it’s honestly shameful to see that in a stadium. You can like or dislike a player, but those gestures are disgraceful. I haven’t heard anything about punishing their fans for making monkey gestures either. There are a lot of things that have gone wrong here. Racism and homophobia – none of it should be tolerated. The insult is equally serious, no matter what form it takes.”