Real Madrid will go into Sunday’s decisive Clasico against FC Barcelona without star forward Kylian Mbappé, dealing a major blow to their already fading hopes of preventing their rivals from claiming another La Liga crown. Mbappé, who currently tops the league scoring charts with 24 goals, has failed to recover in time from a left hamstring injury that has kept him out since late April. The France captain was left out of Madrid’s traveling squad, leaving the visitors without their biggest attacking weapon for one of the most important matches of the season. The absence comes at a difficult time for Mbappé, who has recently responded to criticism about his commitment to the club and his recovery process. Reports in Spain claim that sections of Madrid’s fans fear the forward is being overly cautious ahead of the upcoming World Cup. Mbappé has publicly dismissed those concerns and insisted he is fully focused on returning to the club as soon as possible. Barcelona are now on the verge of winning back-to-back Spanish league titles. The Catalan giants host their fiercest rivals at the Camp Nou knowing that even a draw will be enough to clinch the championship. Heading into the final Clásico of the campaign, Barcelona sit 11 points ahead of Madrid with just four league games in hand. Madrid’s preparations for the high-pressure clash have also been overshadowed by a series of troubling behind-the-scenes incidents. Midfielders Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni were both fined €500,000 after a heated clash in training last week. The brawl reportedly ended when Valverde suffered a head injury after accidentally bumping into a table. The drama did not end here. Defender Alvaro Carreras later admitted he was also involved in a “minor” training ground incident with a teammate. Spanish reports claim Carreys and fellow defender Antonio Rudiger were involved in a scuffle during practice. Amid the turmoil, Madrid manager Alvaro Arbelua faces mounting pressure. Arbeloa was promoted from the reserve set-up after Xabi Alonso’s exit in January, but the club now look set to finish a second consecutive season without a major trophy. Spanish media reports have also linked club president Florentino Perez with a sensational move to bring back Jose Mourinho to revive a struggling side and restore discipline to the squad.
