Tuesday, January 6, 2026, 1:28 p.m.
Kylian Mbappé will miss the Spanish Super Cup. Although Real Madrid kept alive until the last moment the options that the Frenchman could participate in the tournament if the whites reached the final on Sunday, caution has finally prevailed and the ’10’ will not be at Xabi Alonso’s disposal for a tournament that could mark the future of the Guipuzcoan coach.
The sprained left knee suffered by Mbappé has invited Real Madrid to opt for caution and rule out the competition for the ’10’, author of 29 of the 57 goals that the whites have scored so far this season, in Saudi Arabia. The Chamartín club does not want to take any risks with a player who has had an impeccable first stretch of the season, but who has been forced to stop short after playing for several weeks with his joint at its limit. He does not even travel to Jeddah in order to follow conservative treatment in the capital of Spain.
Mbappé’s knee set off alarm bells during the League match between Real Madrid and Celta at the Santiago Bernabéu at the beginning of December. As a result of that scare, the forward was left without participating in the Champions League match between the Whites and Manchester City three days later. He returned to action that same week to contribute with a goal to the victory of Xabi Alonso’s team against Alavés in Mendizorroza and was decisive again the following week both against Talavera in the round of 32 of the Copa del Rey and against Sevilla on matchday 17 of the League. However, in the open-door training session held on December 31, the Frenchman’s knee said enough, with a subsequent diagnosis that is devastating for Real Madrid’s short-term interests.
It is an ailment whose period of absence is usually around three weeks, a period that did not make it advisable to force him to be present in the Spanish Super Cup and that they prefer to respect in Chamartín in order to avoid greater evils in view of the curves that lie ahead in a month in which Real Madrid will still have to face a minimum of six games that could be raised to seven if the whites reach the final of the Super Cup.
Trent returns
The loss of Mbappé will predictably once again place Gonzalo, author of a hat-trick against Betis, as the spearhead of Real Madrid in a tournament for which during the League match against Athletic played on December 3. The presence of the English full-back provided a positive note in a call that included Castilla players David Jiménez and Thiago Pitarch, as well as goalkeeper Fran González, a regular on Real Madrid’s trips.
As for Atlético, the rojiblancos are still waiting for Pablo Barrios. The Madrid midfielder is practically ruled out for the derby due to the edema in the soleus he has, but Diego Pablo Simeone included him in an expedition in which the injured Clément Lenglet and Nico González are not part, but in which six youth players do appear: Iker Luque, Julio Díaz, Jano Monserrate, Sergio Esteban, Taufik Seidu and Esquivel. In this way, Cholo would keep the Spanish international’s card in case Atlético beats Real Madrid and reaches the final on Sunday. Cardoso, Gallagher or Baena could act as Barrios against the whites.
