Madrid weighs Mbappe gamble ahead of Supercopa
Real Madrid could unleash its biggest weapon in Monday's (AEDT) Spanish Super Cup final against Barcelona, with coach Xabi Alonso saying it is considering taking a risk on Kylian Mbappe's fitness after he missed the semi-final.
Mbappe, who matched Cristiano Ronaldo's club record of 59 goals in a calendar year during Madrid's 2-0 LaLiga win over Sevilla last month, is nursing a knee injury.
The France forward, who has scored 12 goals in nine matches against Barcelona, flew to Saudi Arabia on Saturday (AEDT) to join the squad ahead of the El Clasico showdown in Jeddah.
"He's much better," Alonso said. "Against Atletico, he was just about ready, and we decided not to rush him, but we kept in mind that he might be able to play in the final.
"He flew yesterday and will train with the team today. We'll assess him and decide whether he'll start or play a little less. It's a decision we'll make with the player, the coaches and the doctors. The moment we're in and what's at stake ... It's a controlled risk."
Madrid beat Barcelona 2-1 at Santiago Bernabeu in October after losing the Supercopa de Espana final and the Copa del Rey final to its arch-rival last season.
"We're focused on what we have to do and how to play the match," Alonso said. "It will be a match with moments for everything. We have to have the necessary energy."
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick described Mbappe as the best striker around.
"We'll adapt a little, but so will Real Madrid," the German said. "We have to play the way Barcelona always plays, with our style, which is different from Real Madrid's.
Barcelona leads LaLiga with 49 points from 19 matches, four ahead of second-placed Madrid.
Flick confirmed Lamine Yamal was ready to start, having come on as a substitute in Barcelona's 5-0 semi-final thrashing of Athletic Bilbao last week.
