Real Madrid Without Kylian Mbappe in the Spanish Super Cup

JAKARTA - Real Madrid still can't be strengthened by forward Kylian Mbappe when playing in the Spanish Super Cup or Supercopa de Espana. A knee injury forced Mbappe to miss out as coach Xabi Alonso chased the first trophy.

The Supercopa de Espana is an important trophy for Alonso. At least, Alonso can breathe a sigh of relief if he is able to win the trophy in his debut as Madrid coach.

When he was still a pillar of the Los Merengues midfield, Alonso had won the trophy. Likewise, the Copa del Rey, LaLiga and the Champions League had been achieved. Now, he is ambitious to bring home the trophy in the four-team format held in Saudi Arabia.

Madrid itself faces Atletico Madrid in the Madrid Derby at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium, Friday, January 9, 2026 early morning WIB. Meanwhile, Barcelona faces Athletic Bilbao, Thursday, January 8, 2026 early morning WIB.

Alonso feels the need to hunt down the trophy as an incentive for the team, which is starting to have trouble competing with Barcelona in the domestic competition.

Currently, Barca is still comfortably perched at the top with 49 points. Four points ahead of Madrid who are in second place.

Madrid's failure to hunt down Barca put Alonso under pressure. Moreover, the team did not show better progress during Alonso's tenure. Not only that, some players feel uncomfortable with Alonso.

According to the US Diario, Alonso revealed that the Supercopa de Espana was his bet in Madrid. If the winner, the position of the former Bayer Leverkusen coach is definitely safe. On the other hand, he must be wary if he fails to win.

On the other hand, Alonso still can't field the best squad when playing in the Spanish Super Cup. Mbappe is still recovering from a knee injury that made him absent. Previously, the French national team captain was not played when Madrid beat Real Betis 5-1 in the Spanish League.

When Mbappe is not there, young striker Gonzalo Garcia even shows off and immediately scored a hat-trick. The 21-year-old striker is likely to return to the starting lineup and duet with Vinicius Junior or Rodrygo when facing Atletico.

If Mbappe is not taken to Saudi Arabia, instead of the Tren Alexander-Arnold defender, he will enter the squad.

The question is, the former Liverpool defender is still injured and he has been absent for six matches in various competitions.

Alexander-Arnold is expected to recover and be able to return to play in February. Meanwhile, Dani Carvajal and Dean Huijsen are also in the team. However, both have recovered and are expected to be able to play again.