Real Madrid striker Mbappe could face Barcelona in Spanish Super Cup final

Real Madrid striker Mbappe could face Barcelona in Spanish Super Cup finalKylian Mbappe’s latest injury was set to rule him out for three weeks but shock return against Barcelona is on the cards.Published On 10 Jan 2026Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso said he could take a controlled risk with Kylian Mbappe’s fitness ahead of the Spanish Super Cup final on Sunday against Barcelona, but would not be “kamikaze”.French superstar Mbappe missed the semifinal victory over Atletico Madrid on Thursday but flew out to Saudi Arabia on Friday to join the squad before the Clasico in Jeddah.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3‘Symbol of pride’: DR Congo superfan Mboladinga leaves AFCON as a herolist 2 of 3‘I didn’t set out to break records’: Pakistan’s first female MMA fighterlist 3 of 3India-Bangladesh tensions rock cricket, as sport turns diplomatic weaponend of listMbappe is recovering from a knee sprain he suffered at the end of December, which was expected to take three weeks to heal.Asked if the forward, Madrid’s top goalscorer this season with 29 strikes across all competitions, could play with painkilling injections, Alonso said Madrid would be careful.“It’s a decision that we have to take between the staff, the players and the doctors,” Alonso told a news conference.“We have to measure the risk, to know the moment we’re in, what we’re playing for, and then take the decisions we take. But we are not kamikaze when we take decisions. It’s a controlled risk.”Alonso explained that Mbappe was feeling a lot better after missing last weekend’s win over Real Betis in La Liga and the derby clash against Atletico.“He’s doing a lot better, he wouldn’t have been quite ready to face Atletico and we decided not to accelerate [his return],” said the coach.“We had in mind that if we got to the final, according to how he felt, we could see about him coming here.“When he trains today, we’ll have all the information we need and see if he’s ready to start or to play a bit less.”Winning the Super Cup would be Alonso’s first piece of silverware since joining Madrid last June and would ease the pressure on his shoulders.