Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso confirmed Kylian Mbappé is on his way to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to join up with the team ahead of the Spanish Super Cup final against Barcelona.
The 15-time European champions have been without their leading goal scorer since the start of the new year. Mbappé was diagnosed with a sprain in his left knee on the final day of 2025, joining Éder Militão in the infirmary.
The France international missed out on Real Madrid’s return to domestic action, a 5–1 thrashing of Real Betis at the Bernabéu. Mbappé also did not make Alonso’s squad for the Spanish Super Cup, but his team still prevailed in the semifinals, defeating Atlético Madrid 2–1.
Los Blancos were expecting to still be without their superstar forward for the final against Barcelona. But Alonso revealed Mbappé is “a lot better” and “feeling good,” so much so that he left the Spanish capital to fly to Jeddah just days before the upcoming Clásico. Alonso played coy on the Frenchman’s potential involvement in the all-important match, but he admitted Mbappé has a “chance” to play tomorrow at Alinma Bank Stadium.
Despite Real Madrid’s fine form with Gonzalo García leading their line, the team’s best chance at defeating Barcelona comes with Mbappé on the pitch. In his last three matches against the Catalans, the former Paris Saint-Germain star has scored five goals.
No matter what XI Alonso rolls out tomorrow, though, Los Blancos will deem anything other than winning the Spanish Super Cup a failure.
“We have to win,” goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois said to Realmadrid TV after the game. “Last year we lost two finals against them and we want to win, just like them, who lost the Clásico in La Liga and will be hungry for revenge.”
Indeed, Barcelona bested their bitter rivals 5–2 in last season’s Spanish Super Cup final and 3–2 in the Copa del Rey final. Madrid got their first bit of revenge in their first Clásico under Alonso, a 2–1 victory at the Bernabéu.
“It will be a great game between two teams who will want to win. We have to recover well and have fresh legs on Sunday to win,” Courtois finished.
In a related development, Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick is expected to bring Lamine Yamal back into his starting side for tomorrow’s Spanish Super Cup final against Real Madrid.
Yamal was not in the starting XI against Athletic Bilbao in the semi-finals of the competition on Wednesday night, having struggled with a physical issue in the build-up to the match.
The teenager was introduced in the second half, though, and having come through unscathed, he is set to be in the starting team for El Clasico this weekend.
Roony Bardghji was on the scoresheet against Athletic, but the youngster is expected to be the player to make way in the final third of the field.
Barcelona could otherwise be unchanged from the semi-final, as Flick was able to make changes in the second half, with the Catalan side five goals ahead in the 52nd minute.
The La Liga leaders will again be without the services of Gavi (knee), Marc-Andre ter Stegen (unspecified) and Andreas Christensen (knee) due to injury.