Mbappe missed Thursday's semi-final against Atletico Madrid, but arrived in Saudi Arabia to join the team on Friday.
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Real Madrid coach Xavi Alonso has said he is aware of Kylian Mbappe's health, but has made it clear that he will take cautious risks with the French player.
Real face Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final on Sunday. Mbappe missed Thursday's semi-final against Atletico Madrid but arrived in Saudi Arabia to join the team on Friday.
Mbappe is struggling to recover from a knee injury he sustained in December. It was expected to take at least three weeks to recover. Mbappe, who has scored 29 goals in all competitions this season, is expected to play with a pain-relieving injection. But Alonso said he was not willing to take any risks.
He said, "The final decision on Mbappe will be made only after discussions with the doctor and the player. How much risk is there? We are not in favour of making a decision that will cost us." He also said Mbappe's condition has improved significantly. Before the match against Atletico, Mbappe also missed the match against Real Betis in Spanish La Liga.
Alonso added, ‘Mbappe is doing well now. Maybe he wasn’t ready for the game against Atletico. We don’t want him to risk returning to the team too soon. We were also analyzing what would happen if we managed to reach the final. When he gets back into training, what will happen then, we will all focus on that.’
The Spanish coach was on the verge of being sacked at the end of 2025 due to the team’s poor performance. But Real have recently regained their rhythm and the team has won 5 games in a row. Alonso says, ‘Any plan needs to take shape. We are moving forward according to the team spirit. We know what the team needs. The team is united now. The result of the game against Barcelona will mean a lot this season.’
Barcelona coach Hansi Flick also believes that Mbappe is capable of turning the game around single-handedly. But he believes that Barcelona are capable of winning whether Mbappe plays or not. He said, "For now, Mbappe is the best striker in world football. He is scoring goals constantly. That's all I can say about him right now."
Last season, Barcelona won all four of Mbappe's games against Real. Flick wants to reiterate this fact. Barcelona beat Real 5-2 in the Spanish Super Cup final last season. Barcelona won both the 'El Clasico' and the Copa del Rey finals of the Spanish La Liga. This season, Real beat Barcelona 2-1 in one game.
