Real Madrid have been without Kylian Mbappe ahead of Saturday night’s mammoth Copa del Rey final showdown with arch-rivals Barcelona.
The France superstar has quickly and inevitably become indispensable to Los Blancos since joining on a high-profile free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain last summer, topping their scoring charts with 32 goals in 49 appearances so far across all competitions.
However, Mbappe has dealt with injury issues during his first campaign in the Spanish capital and provided a new scare last week when he limped off late on in Real Madrid’s 2-1 second-leg defeat by Arsenal in the Champions League quarter-finals at the Bernabeu.
The 26-year-old went down in pain clutching his right ankle after making an attempted tackle on Gunners midfielder Declan Rice, whose early challenge on Mbappe led to a penalty award that was then overturned on review, receiving treatment on the pitch before being replaced 15 minutes from time by Brahim Diaz.
That provoked fears that Mbappe’s availability for a huge Copa del Rey final clash with Barcelona in Seville on April 26 could be in jeopardy, after he had already avoided a potential suspension for that game. Here’s the latest on Mbappe’s injury ahead of a high-stakes Clasico tussle this weekend.
Will Kylian Mbappe play against Barcelona?
The second-leg defeat by Arsenal - which saw the shocked Champions League holders ousted 5-1 on aggregate in the last eight to heap pressure on under-fire manager Carlo Ancelotti - was not followed by an immediate official update on Mbappe, though there were reports in the Spanish press that he had suffered an ankle sprain and was not thought to be in danger of missing the Copa del Rey final, pending further assessment.
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Matters were complicated by Mbappe being suspended anyway for Sunday night’s dramatic last-gasp 1-0 LaLiga home win over Athletic Club that kept Real Madrid within four points of leaders Barca in a thrilling title race with six matches left to play, having been handed a one-match suspension following his reckless challenge on Antonio Blanco during the first half of a hard-fought victory away at Alaves the weekend prior.
An initial yellow card for that tackle was quickly upgraded to red following a VAR review. A maximum three-match ban for violent conduct would have seen Mbappe miss the final against Barcelona, but it was decided by the Spanish Football Federation’s (RFEF) disciplinary committee that the challenge warranted the minimum one-game suspension.
Mbappe, along with team-mate Antonio Rudiger, was also handed a one-match suspended ban and fined by Uefa earlier this month after an investigation into the conduct of four Real Madrid players as they celebrated a dramatic penalty shootout win over rivals Atletico in the Champions League last 16 in March.
Reigning champions Real Madrid have one more game to come in LaLiga before heading to Seville to face Barcelona, whom they also play away two weeks later on May 11 in a game that could prove pivotal in the context of a fierce title battle.
That comes with a short trip to Getafe on Wednesday night, with Mbappe omitted from the travelling squad for that fixture after Ancelotti confirmed in his pre-match press conference on Tuesday that the Frenchman would not be involved.
However, the good news for Real Madrid is that he is set to train over the coming days and is expected to be ready for the Copa del Rey final against Barcelona.
The same is also true for France left-back Ferland Mendy, who has not played since the second leg against Atletico over a month ago due to a muscle issue.
“I think Mbappe and Mendy will be ready for the final against Barca,” Ancelotti said. “They will not be available tomorrow.”
If that duo are indeed fit for the final, and no further setbacks are suffered against Getafe at the Estadio Coliseum on Wednesday night, then Real Madrid will be missing only long-term defensive absentees Eder Militao and Dani Carvajal against Barcelona, with the latter having stepped up his comeback from a serious knee injury this week by resuming ball work out on the grass.