Real Madrid must beat Barcelona in Sunday's El Clásico clash at the Spotify Camp Nou if they want to keep the La Liga title race alive for another week.
However, the task will not be easy at all, as the Madrid team will be missing several key players.
It has already been confirmed that Federico Valverde will not be available after suffering a concussion in a training collision with Aurélien Tchouaméni, while Dani Carvajal, Éder Militão and Arda Güleri are also absent due to injuries.
Kylian Mbappé has now been added to this list, having been left out of the Real Madrid squad travelling to Catalonia.
Mbappé was expected to have a few minutes in “El Clasico”, but that will no longer be the case.
He was not included in coach Álvaro Arbeloa's list for the match, with the decision made on Sunday morning.
According to "Diario AS", Mbappé was unable to complete Saturday's training session due to physical concerns.
It was initially planned to be activated from the bench at the "Spotify Camp Nou", but in the end it was decided not to risk it, causing Real Madrid to lose another attacking option for "El Clasico".
Mbappé's absence is a blow for Real Madrid, but the team must do their best without his services.
There is hope that he will be fit to play against Real Oviedo on Thursday, although the title race could be over by then if Barcelona avoid defeat in El Clasico.
It remains to be seen how Real Madrid will fare without Mbappé, but it is clear that preparations for the visit to Barcelona have been far from ideal.
However, there is also positive news, as star goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has returned from injury and will start at the "Spotify Camp Nou"./Express newspaper/
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