Real Madrid Confirm Kylian Mbappe Decision for El Clasico vs. Barcelona

Kylian Mbappé has been left out of the Real Madrid squad for Sunday’s crunch meeting with Barcelona.

The Frenchman pulled up with a hamstring injury late last month and quickly set his sights on returning in time for Sunday’s potentially title-defining Clásico, and his return to training ahead of the game appeared to suggest he was on track.

However, manager Álvaro Arbeloa had urged fans not to get ahead of themselves, admitting the initial feeling was that Mbappé would not make it back in time. Unfortunately for Los Blancos, he has been proven correct as there was no place for Mbappé when the Madrid squad list was announced.

Real Madrid Squad to Face Barcelona

• Goalkeepers: Thibaut Courtois, Andriy Lunin, Sergio Mestre.
• Defenders: David Alaba, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Raúl Asensio, Álvaro Carreras, Fran García, Antonio Rüdiger, Dean Huijsen, David Jiménez.
• Midfielders: Jude Bellingham, Eduardo Camavinga, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Thiago Pitarch, Jorge Cestero, César Palacios.
• Forwards: Vini Jr., Gonzalo, Brahim, Mastantuono.

How Real Madrid Can Replace Mbappé in El Clásico

Arbeloa’s uncertainty when it comes to replacing Mbappé was on show last week during Madrid’s 2–0 win over Espanyol.

It was attacking midfielder Brahim Díaz who started as a striker at the top of a 4-2-3-1 structure, but he was withdrawn early in the second half to be replaced by the only out-and-out striker in the squad, Gonzalo García.

Gonzalo walked away with an assist for Vinicius Junior and appears to have done enough to earn a start in this one, although the significance of the occasion and the threat posed by Barcelona could force Arbeloa to look elsewhere.

Exploiting Barcelona’s high-risk defensive line could be key for Arbeloa, who could opt to deploy Vini Jr. in a central role if he wants more mobility in attack, although that would leave him without much cover out wide.

We have seen Jude Bellingham, an attacking midfielder, used as a central striker on occasion in Madrid, although the Englishman is far more effective in his natural role and it would be an enormous risk from Arbeloa to make that call in a game that could hand Barcelona the La Liga title.

Alternative options like Arda Güler and Rodrygo are both injured, as are Éder Militão, Ferland Mendy and Dani Carvajal. Federico Valverde will watch from the sidelines after suffering a head injury in a locker-room scuffle with Aurélien Tchouaméni, who does make the squad.

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