This is the first shock of the season for Real Madrid in La Liga, and it will be played without Kylian Mbappé. Hit in the thigh on Tuesday evening during the match against Alaves (3-2), the Bondynois should miss three weeks of competition, and will therefore be absent for the derby on the Atlético pitch on Sunday evening.
For Carlo Ancelotti, it’s a hard blow. The French No.9 was lined up as a starter in all of Real Madrid’s matches, in La Liga, the Champions League and even the European Super Cup. In other words, the Merengues have hardly played without him this season, except at the end of a few games.
Who to replace Mbappé?
To replace him position for position, the natural solution leads to Endrick. The 18-year-old Brazilian has only made ends meet so far, which did not prevent him from scoring two goals. The Spanish press was expecting his first start on Tuesday against Alaves, but Ancelotti kept Mbappé in his eleven. Throwing Endrick into the deep end away against Atlético would not be a gift, but the former Palmeiras star has already shown that he knows how to move forward.
The other option would be to return to a 4-4-2 which was Real’s preferred pattern last season. Jude Bellingham would return to his position as No. 10, behind the arrows Rodrygo and Vinicius, and the marks would not take long to return. In the middle, alongside the essential Aurélien Tchouaméni and Federico Valverde, third place would be played out between Eduardo Camavinga (if he is restored), Luka Modric and Arda Güler. It was the Turk who replaced Mbappé on Tuesday evening when he left.
