Madrid passes Mbappe fit as Mourinho slams media

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Mbappe had initially been considered doubtful for Madrid's first game after the international window, having suffered a minor knee injury while representing France.

Mbappe sustained the injury while scoring the only goal in Les Bleus' 1-0 win over Turkiye and subsequently left Zinedine Zidane's camp for medical tests.

With those examinations showing Mbappe's injury was not serious, he made trips to Paris and Switzerland during his recovery, drawing criticism from some onlookers on social media.

But Mourinho insists Mbappe did nothing wrong in the days after his injury, accusing reporters of looking to cause internal problems for Los Blancos.

"Mbappe was here, he got his diagnosis, he went to an external consultant – because his knee has a history that you can't forget – and there was a complete agreement between Real Madrid's diagnosis and this external consultant," Mourinho said.

"In terms of his recovery, you don't have to know all the details, but then we get into the area of looking for problems."

Mourinho then suggested the media were looking to turn Madrid's fans against Mbappe, adding: "You don't have to be Einstein to see that this is the objective.

"I hope the Bernabeu can be fair, and that means being intelligent, being able to read between the lines.

"One thing I promise is that when a Real Madrid player doesn't behave like a Real Madrid player, they won't see that player. They won't have the chance to whistle, because they'll be at home.

"So tomorrow, Mbappe will play. He won't be on the bench, and if he plays, it's because I'm sure that he hasn't failed Real Madrid. He hasn't failed to fulfil his obligations."

Mourinho also accused reporters of being overly harsh in their criticism of Vinicius Junior, who has endured a difficult start to the domestic campaign.

The Brazilian has only scored once in eight outings for his club across all competitions this season, but Mourinho feels an arm around the shoulder will help him get back to his best.

"What makes me feel sad is understanding that he wants to be the Vinicius who wins games, who wins trophies, who wins [UEFA] Champions Leagues, who makes the difference," he said.

"It hurts me that the fans, influenced by a lot of you [the media], aren't helping him. He deserves to be helped."

While Madrid sits fourth in LaLiga after seven matches, six points behind Barcelona after the Blaugrana's perfect start, Villarreal is ninth, having registered back-to-back wins prior to the international break.