Kylian Mbappe has started the new year with a knee sprain which has threatened to do significant harm to Real Madrid's season. The French star was at his scintillating best before sustaining the injury which was announced on New Year's Eve.
Xabi Alonso's men have important fixtures on the horizon, not least a clash with Atletico Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup on Thursday (January 8th). That means Los Blancos have a week to prepare for the trip to Saudi Arabia to take on Diego Simeone's men at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium.
A semi-final cup win over Atleti is a real chance for Alonso to start the new year off in a positive fashion following months of speculation over his job. There has been an update on whether Mbappe will feature in that game.
Mbappe to travel for Madrid derby
When news broke of Mbappe's injury, the expectation was that he would face three weeks on the sidelines. That would almost certainly rule him out of the Spanish Super Cup semi-final but a report from El Chiringuito TV's Jose Luis Sanchez suggests he'll be present for the encounter with Atleti.
It's claimed that Mbappe is expected to travel to Saudi Arabia for the game, though it's "very difficult for him to get minutes" in it. As frustrating as it will be for Alonso having to make do without him, the fact there is already talk of his return is promising.
That could mean the initial three-week absence was overexaggerated and Mbappe might be back sooner. Levante visit the Bernabeu on January 17th before a clash with AS Monaco in the Champions League on January 20th.
You'd expect him to return for one of those games judging by the tone of Sanchez's report on him travelling for the semi-final. He will be eager to do so given he enjoyed a stellar 2025 in front of goal, finishing the year with the European Golden Boot after finding the back of the net with 31 goals.
Mbappe injury fuels prevention plan concerns
Mbappe's injury is the 23rd that Madrid have dealt with this season and that's a glaring problem which needs rectifying. Alonso's handling of the France captain has come under scrutiny as he chased the historic goalscoring milestone in the latter stages of 2025.
According to Diario AS, there are again concerns over an injury prevention plan amid Mbappe's setback. While it's not too serious and a return in January looks possible, there evidently needs to be a way to ensure such a situation doesn't continue to hold Alonso's team back.
The Spaniard isn't blameless and his stance over keeping Mbappe on for 91 minutes against Talavera in the Copa del Rey last month was peculiar. He simply defended doing so because he "scores goals."
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