Barcelona have managed to become as one of the best teams in the world, shining throughout the 2025–26 LaLiga season. With this in mind, they face Real Madrid in the highly anticipated El Clásico, in a clash that will determine the league champion. Nevertheless, Los Blancos will not make things easy, as are going through a disappointing season. Despite this, Kylian Mbappé will not be available, leaving serious doubts from a scoring standpoint.
Kylian Mbappé has been left out of Real Madrid’s squad list. Even though he had supposedly passed the medical tests a few days ago, he has not managed to fully recover from his torn muscle fiber, causing him to miss El Clásico. In addition to this, the French forward left the team’s latest training session in the final five minutes after feeling discomfort, leaving everyone surprised, reveals Diario Marca.
Given the Frenchman’s absence, Real Madrid‘s Álvaro Arbeloa could stick with the same approach he used against Espanyol, betting on Brahim Díaz and Jude Bellingham in the attack. Complementing the offense, Vinicius Jr. would occupy the left side of midfield, controlling the entire flank and looking to create space in Barcelona’s defense. While this approach has already worked in previous matches, the absence of Kylian Mbappé’s scoring power could prove quite decisive.
Without Mbappé’s presence, Vinicius Jr. could once again have complete freedom of movement, recalling his best periods with Los Blancos before the Frenchman arrived at the club. In addition, he has proven to be key to the team’s collective play, meaning he could not only make an impact from a scoring standpoint again, but also elevate Brahim, Bellingham, or even Gonzalo García if he comes on as a substitute during the LaLiga match.
Kylian Mbappe of Real Madrid.
Real Madrid face seven additional absentees vs Barcelona
Real Madrid have not had their best season, being eliminated from the 2025–26 UEFA Champions League and sitting in second place, 11 points behind Barcelona. Along with the limited impact of head coach Álvaro Arbeloa, Los Blancos have suffered a significant wave of injuries that has prevented them from performing at their best. Far from improving toward the end of the season, they still maintain eight major absences for El Clásico.
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Arbeloa will not be able to count on Arda Güler, Federico Valverde, Rodrygo Goes, Éder Militão, Dani Ceballos, Dani Carvajal, and Ferland Mendy. Because of this, they will be forced to make major changes to their squad, losing most of their key figures across every area of the pitch. Nevertheless, Vinicius Jr. and Jude Bellingham’s presence could prove decisive to chase a victory today, as they have already shown to be crucial from an offensive standpoint.
