It wouldn't be a typical Real Madrid season if the squad weren't riddled with injuries to key players, leaving the matchday squad looking like a hodgepodge and costing the team key results on any given weekend. This has been something fans have had to get used to since the 20/21 season, and it's starting to become tiresome.
This season alone, Jude Bellingham, Eder Militao, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dani Carvajal, and Rodrygo, among others, have all spent time on the sidelines recovering from injuries. This has impacted the squad available to the manager for any given match.
Key players suffering injuries this season have drastically affected the team's consistency, costing the team results. This could prove to be the difference between winning a trophy this year or yet another trophyless season.
The last thing Real can afford is another injury to a key player as we head into the crucial winter months of the season, and unfortunately for Los Blancos, the most important player, Kylian Mbappe, has just been struck with another injury.
Real Madrid handed massive blow ahead of Real Sociedad clash
As reported by Carlos Rodriguez on X, Mbappe hasn't trained with the rest of the squad for the two consecutive days and is a doubt for this weekend's match against Real Sociedad, as the Frenchman is still experiencing knee discomfort.
The Frenchman missed two matches in January due to being sidelined with knee discomfort before rushing to return earlier than expected for the Spanish Super Cup on January 11th, a move that could be costly, catching up to Mbappe a month later. He knows he's the team's most important player and has been pushing through the pain to keep contributing, but it seems that discomfort is becoming too much for him to handle.
The Frenchman has far and away been the best and most important player this season. He's put the team on his back, bagging 38 goals and is arguably the sole reason behind almost all of his side's victories this season. Mbappe missing a clash the size of Sociedad is a significant setback, but what would be an even bigger blow is missing the Champions League clash against Benfica next week.
Missing the game against Sociedad could be a blessing in disguise as it would give Mbappe more time to get closer to full fitness before the match against Benfica. This is undoubtedly more important than the home encounter with Erreala.