Real Madrid will be without French superstar Kylian Mbappé for Thursday’s Spanish Super Cup semifinal showdown against city rivals Atletico Madrid, as Barcelona take on Athletic Bilbao in the other semifinal on Wednesday.
Mbappé, the club’s leading goalscorer this season, is still recovering from a sprain to his left knee and was left out of the squad list released on Tuesday ahead of the tournament in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Naija News reports that the 27-year-old picked up the injury on New Year’s Eve, with the club choosing a cautious approach to his recovery. Sources within the Spanish giants revealed that the decision was taken under a strict “zero-risk” policy, with Real Madrid unwilling to rush their star forward back into action.
This will mark the second Madrid derby Mbappé has missed since completing his move to the Santiago Bernabéu in September 2024. He also sat out his first derby shortly after joining the club, which was played at Atletico Madrid’s Metropolitano Stadium.
Since then, the former Paris Saint-Germain forward has featured in four Madrid derbies, scoring twice — both goals coming in LaLiga encounters.
Despite Mbappé’s absence, Real Madrid head coach Xabi Alonso received a timely boost with the return of England international Trent Alexander-Arnold, who has been declared fit after recovering from injury.
Alexander-Arnold’s availability offers much-needed relief for Alonso, who has come under increasing pressure following a sluggish start to the season. Los Blancos currently trail defending champions Barcelona by four points in the LaLiga title race, heightening scrutiny on the Spanish tactician.
The Spanish Super Cup now offers Alonso a chance to steady the ship and secure silverware, even without his star attacker.