Will he play against Barça? Mbappé travels to Jeddah for the Super Cup final

Kylian Mbappé will join the Real Madrid squad on Friday for the 2026 Spanish Super Cup final against FC Barcelona. In the press conference following the 'Merengue' victory against Atlético de Madrid (1-2), Xabi Alonso confirmed that 'Kiki' will join the team before the Clásico, although he did not specify whether the number 10 will have a chance to start next Sunday (8:00 PM).

"He's much better, he's trained and his feelings are good. His chances of playing are the same as everyone else's," commented the man from Tolosa regarding his goalscorer's physical condition. Mbappé, in principle, was ruled out of the Super Cup due to a sprain in his left knee.

Mbappé has a very difficult chance of starting, but he is not ruled out for El Clásico

In principle, Kylian's recovery time was estimated at around three weeks. With this, he also ran the risk of missing the Copa del Rey round of 16 tie, next Wednesday against Albacete (9:00 PM) and the match against Levante corresponding to matchday 20 of LaLiga (Saturday 17).

However, the 26-year-old forward's feelings in his latest training sessions at Valdebebas seem to inspire optimism and suggest that the Bondy native, **at the very least, could be available on the bench** at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah.

The risk of a relapse, however, would be high. Mbappé had been suffering from discomfort in his left leg since early December and, for this reason, did not play against Manchester City in the Champions League (1-2). Afterwards, however, the French 'killer' preferred to play the last three games of the year, against Alavés (1-2), Talavera (2-3) and Sevilla (2-0).

'Kiki' closed out 2025 with 59 goals, equaling the record set by Cristiano Ronaldo (2013). In total, he has accumulated 29 goals in 24 matches this season, being the top scorer in LaLiga (18) and the Champions League (9). In the first Clásico of the 25/26 season, he scored one of the goals in the white team's victory at the Bernabéu (2-1), his fifth goal against Barça in a Madrid shirt.

Xabi Alonso could lose more starters against Barça

In addition to Kylian Mbappé's doubt, Xabi Alonso could also lose Antonio Rüdiger, Raúl Asencio, and Rodrygo for the Spanish Super Cup final. The German pushed himself to play in the derby against Atlético, but had to be replaced in the 69th minute due to problems with his left leg.

The '22' left limping and it's unlikely he'll be able to start on Sunday. Asensio and Rodrygo, for their part, will also undergo tests on Friday, after being forced to ask for a substitution due to two blows of apparent consideration

Real Madrid does not yet have Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dani Carvajal, or Dean Huijsen fit to play. It's no wonder that the players chosen to replace Rüdiger and Asensio on Thursday in the final stretch were Fran García and Ferland Mendy.

Carvajal and Huisen were on the bench, as was David Alaba, but Xabi didn't want to risk it. Trent wasn't even on the bench and the only physically fit alternative to have replaced Fede Valverde, had it been necessary, was youth player David Jiménez.

In that regard, the coach from Tolosa, who will be playing for his job against Barça, could be forced to move Tchouameni to the center of defense alongside Álvaro Carreras, while names like Dani Ceballos and Arda Güler could enter the starting XI as 'emergency' solutions.