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El Clasico: Kylian Mbappe not in Real Madrid squad to face Barcelona
TL;DR
Kylian Mbappe will not play in Real Madrid's El Clasico match against Barcelona despite training with the team. His absence leaves a significant gap as Barcelona can clinch the league title with a win.
Key points
- Kylian Mbappe missed El Clasico against Barcelona
- He trained with Real Madrid before the match
- Barcelona can win the league title with a victory
Mentioned in this story
Kylian Mbappe
Real MadridBarcelona
Kylian Mbappe will miss Real Madrid’s crucial La Liga fixture against Barcelona despite training for El Clasico with his teammates before the trip to the Catalan capital.
The league’s leading goal scorer was left out of the Real Madrid squad named for Sunday night’s game at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, where the home team can be crowned Spanish champions with a win over their archrivals.
Images from Real Madrid’s home training session on Saturday, which showed Mbappe participating in drills, indicated that the French forward had recovered from a hamstring injury he suffered two weeks ago, but his name was a crucial absence from the 21-man squad named on social media.
Mbappe attended a team training session before the trip to Barcelona [Oscar Del Pozo/ AFP]
Brazilian star Vinicius Jr will lead the forward line for Los Blancos and will be supported by Brahim Diaz and Gonzalo Torres.
Meanwhile, Aurelien Tchouameni was listed among the midfielders despite a recent training ground clash with teammate Federico Valverde that cost both players a fine of 500,000 euros ($589,000) each.
Barcelona go into the match as favourites not only to win the match but also to retain the league title. The Catalan giants enjoy an 11-point lead over their opponents, and a draw would seal their 29th Spanish league win with three games to spare.
If Barcelona win their last four league games this season, starting with the battle against Alvaro Arbeloa’s fracturing Madrid, they will match the all-time league record of 100 points.
Mbappe, a doubt for El Clasico because of a hamstring injury, has been after he went on holiday to Sardinia during his recovery process.
Q&A
Why is Kylian Mbappe not playing in El Clasico against Barcelona?
Kylian Mbappe was left out of the Real Madrid squad for El Clasico despite training with the team, indicating he may not be fully fit after a recent hamstring injury.
What are the implications of Barcelona winning against Real Madrid?
If Barcelona wins against Real Madrid, they will be crowned Spanish champions, highlighting the stakes of this crucial match.
How did Kylian Mbappe perform in training before the match?
Kylian Mbappe participated in training drills with his teammates before the match, suggesting he had recovered from his injury but was ultimately not included in the squad.
