Real Madrid suffer Mbappe blow ahead of Atletico derby

Real Madrid have confirmed that Kylian Mbappe has sustained a thigh injury, ruling him out of this weekend’s highly anticipated La Liga derby against Atletico Madrid, Soccernet.football reports.

The French forward was substituted during Real Madrid’s 3-2 victory over Alaves on Tuesday after showing signs of discomfort.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the club revealed the extent of Mbappe’s injury. “Following tests carried out today by Real Madrid’s medical services on our player Kylian Mbappe, he has been diagnosed with an injury to the biceps femoris in his left leg,” the statement read.

According to reports from Spanish media, the 25-year-old could be sidelined for up to three weeks.

Mbappe, who has scored five goals in seven La Liga appearances this season, was in fine form against Alaves, netting a superb goal in the win at the Santiago Bernabeu.

However, his early exit raised concerns, with coach Carlo Ancelotti downplaying the seriousness of the injury. “He’s fine, he’s fine, a little overloaded, he asked me for the change to avoid problems,” Ancelotti said after the match.

The timing of Mbappe’s injury is unfortunate for Madrid, as they face a challenging run of fixtures.

Aside from the upcoming derby against Atletico, Mbappe is also expected to miss Real Madrid’s Champions League clash with Lille next week.

His absence may extend into the international break, where he could miss France’s Nations League matches against Israel and Belgium in October.

Mbappe has quickly established himself as a key figure at Real Madrid since joining from Paris Saint-Germain this summer.

After a slow start, he found his rhythm with seven goals in nine appearances across all competitions, including a strike in Madrid’s UEFA Super Cup victory over Atalanta in August.

His absence will be a significant blow to Madrid, who trail league leaders Barcelona by just one point ahead of their crucial match this weekend.