Kylian Mbappé Will Miss 'El Clásico' Against Barcelona

Real Madrid was without the injured Kylian Mbappé in the clásico on Sunday, May 10, 2026, which could seal a second consecutive Spanish league title for Barcelona. Barcelona was in mourning following the death of coach Hansi Flick's father. Mbappé, the league's leading scorer with 24 goals, was not included in Madrid's squad after failing to recover from a left-hamstring ailment that had kept him sidelined since late April.

Last week, Mbappé addressed a fresh wave of criticism in Spain, insisting he was fully committed to the club and focused on recovering from his latest injury. Some Madrid fans expressed concern that the France forward was saving himself for the upcoming World Cup.

Barcelona hosted Madrid at Camp Nou with the opportunity to celebrate the La Liga crown with either a victory or a draw against its fiercest rival. Barcelona entered the last clásico of the season leading Madrid by 11 points with four rounds remaining. The match was particularly emotional for Barcelona, as the news of Hans Flick's death was announced just hours before kickoff. In a statement, Barcelona said, "FC Barcelona and the entire blaugrana family wish to send all our love to Hansi Flick after the passing of his father. We share in your sorrow and our thoughts are with you and your family during this difficult time." Hansi Flick was still expected to be on the bench for the match.

Spanish media reported that Barcelona players wore black armbands as a sign of mourning, and a minute of silence was held before kickoff. Meanwhile, Madrid, playing mostly for pride and to avoid the humiliation of watching Barcelona celebrate at its expense, reeling after a tumultuous week in which players Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni were each fined 500,000 euros ($589,000) for an altercation during training. This incident left Valverde sidelined with a head injury after he allegedly knocked his head on a table accidentally.

Additionally, Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was involved in a "minor" incident with a teammate, with reports stating he and fellow defender Antonio Rudiger got into a scuffle. Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach promoted from Madrid’s reserve team when Xabi Alonso was fired in January, faced a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid speculation that club president Florentino Pérez was considering bringing back José Mourinho to address his underperforming team.