Kylian Mbappe has made a suprisingly quick recovery from a knee sprain and flown to Saudi Arabia for Real Madrid's Supercopa de Espana final against Barcelona. The French forward's availability is the main talking point ahead of El Clasico.
Madrid beat Atletico Madrid 2-1 in Thursday's semi-final to book their place in Sunday's final. Xabi Alonso revealed after the derby that Mbappe was set to travel to the Middle East and was ready to return to his side for the Barca showdown.
But there are still questions regarding whether Mbappe will be able to make Alonso's starting lineup or if he'll take a place on the bench. He has trained with his teammates in preparation for the final.
Journalist gives Kylian Mbappe update
Mbappe has been Europe's most prolific goalscorer this season and bagged 29 goals in 24 games across competitions. Having him lead the line against Barca could strike fear into the Catalans defense whom he scored against in a 2-1 win earlier this season.
According to Spanish journalist Jorge Picon (via Madrid Universal), Mbappe is the one who will decide whether he is fit to start tomorrow's final. They point out that it would be strange for the French striker to take a six-hour flight not to be in Alonso's starting lineup.
Mbappe has a strong mentality and will likely be eager to start rather than be named on the bench. If it's his decision to make, you'd expect he wants to face Barca from the start rather than wait to be introduced later on in the game.
Alonso on Mbappe's fitness
Alonso has suggested Mbappe was under consideration to play against Atleti but that the club didn't want to risk him. The Spanish coach spoke to reporters ahead of the final:
“Mbappe is much better. He was a bit tight to feature against Atletico, we decided not to rush him, but we kept in mind that he could make it for the final, provided he felt okay.”
This further indicates that the Frenchman will be fit to start, as there was a chance he would play in the Madrid derby. He could line up in attack alongside Rodrygo, who has been given the go-ahead to play tomorrow night.
Rodrygo picked up a hamstring injury against Atleti after scoring the winning goal. But the Brazilian is ready to face Barca much to the delight of Alonso who can field his usual frontline.