Real Madrid are heading into Sunday’s El Clasico amid a crisis fueled not only by poor results, but also by internal conflicts. In that context, even Kylian Mbappe’s role has come under scrutiny, something Barcelona coach Hansi Flick dismissed.
“He’s one of the best players in the world, come on,” Flick responded during Saturday’s press conference when asked by a reporter whether Real Madrid currently play better without Mbappe. “On the pitch, he has unbelievable quality.”
The Barcelona coach then highlighted the French forward’s strengths: “In every situation, he’s very dangerous. In the box, he’s unbelievable. In front of the goal, he’s for me, for his quality, at the moment the best one.”
The narrative surrounding the supposed “burden” Mbappe represents for Real Madrid has gained traction in recent weeks, as the team started posting better results in matches in which he was unable to be part of the starting lineup due to physical issues.
Kylian Mbappe of Real Madrid celebrates after scoring against Bayern Munich.
In the last six matches in which Real Madrid had Mbappe in the starting lineup, they managed to win only once, while with him absent or coming off the bench, Los Blancos won seven of their last eight matches.
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Will Mbappe start in El Clasico against Barcelona?
Kylian Mbappe missed Real Madrid’s last La Liga match — a 2-0 victory against Espanyol last Sunday — due to a muscle injury. That naturally cast doubt over his availability for El Clasico against Barcelona, with only seven days to recover his best physical condition.
However, the forward’s progress throughout the week was positive. Little by little, he rejoined training alongside the rest of his teammates, and on Saturday he took part in the session normally. That gives him a strong chance of being in the starting lineup at Camp Nou.
Mbappe’s record in El Clasico
Since arriving at Real Madrid in the summer of 2024, Kylian Mbappe has faced Barcelona six times, with an overwhelmingly negative record: five defeats and one victory. That statistic becomes even more striking considering that three of those five losses came in finals.
On an individual level, however, Mbappe has lived up to expectations. In those six matches against Barcelona, the French forward scored six goals, including a hat trick in the 4-3 defeat during the 2024-25 La Liga season.
