Alonso to 'assess the risk' on Mbappe fitness

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Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso said he will carefully “assess the risk” before deciding whether Kylian Mbappé can play in the Spanish Supercopa final against Barcelona in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, as the forward continues to recover from a recent knee sprain.[7] Mbappé missed Madrid’s semifinal win over Atlético Madrid but joined the squad on Friday after remaining in Spain for treatment.[7]

Alonso explained that Mbappé is “feeling better” and that his availability will depend on how he responds in training ahead of Sunday’s Clásico, stressing that Real Madrid will not take a “kamikaze” approach with his health.[7] The coach acknowledged that, given the importance of the trophy and the opponent, there is room for a “controlled risk”, but only within limits agreed by the medical staff, the player, and the coaching team.[7]

Asked specifically if Mbappé might play with the aid of pain-killing injections, Alonso said such a decision would be taken collectively and only after weighing the potential consequences for the rest of the season.[7] Mbappé, who suffered the knee injury at the end of December, is Madrid’s top scorer this campaign with 29 goals in all competitions, underlining how significant his presence would be in the final.[4][7]

Alonso noted that Mbappé was never close to featuring in the semifinal, as the club preferred not to accelerate his recovery, partly with the possibility of reaching the final in mind.[4][7] Now, with Barcelona awaiting and memories still fresh of last season’s heavy Supercopa defeat to the Catalans, the coach admitted that having Mbappé available, even for a limited role, could be decisive, but reiterated that long-term fitness will not be sacrificed for one match.[4][7]