The stakes couldn’t be higher. Real Madrid’s La Liga title hopes hang by a thread, their Champions League dream has just been crushed at the Bernabeu, and now, in the most pivotal stretch of the season, it will be without their brightest star. As Los Blancos prepare to host Athletic Club in a must-win showdown at the Santiago Bernabeu, Kylian Mbappe’s absence may leave many scratching their heads. Is he being rested? Is it an internal decision? Injury? Or something else entirely?
Madrid’s midweek heartbreak came at the hands of Arsenal, who stunned the Spanish giants with a 2-1 win in the second leg, knocking them out of the Champions League 5-1 on aggregate. For a club steeped in European glory, an early quarter-final exit was a brutal blow.
And now, as if that weren’t enough, they find themselves four points adrift of league leaders Barcelona, with only seven games left to close the gap. Worse yet, Barça have been unbeaten in La Liga throughout 2025 — an ominous record Madrid are desperate to break.
In domestic competition, Los Blancos still have the Copa del Rey to play for, but they’ll face — who else — Barcelona in the final. That match, looming at the end of April, might be their last shot at silverware.
For a team in need of a reaction, one would expect their biggest weapon to be front and center. But as Madrid prepare to face fourth-placed Athletic Bilbao, a team unbeaten in eight matches, Mbappe is nowhere to be seen on the squad list. “Kylian won’t be available this weekend. There’s the red card from last week, and now he also has a fitness issue. It’s a bit of both,” Carlo Ancelotti revealed in his pre-match press conference. “We’re monitoring his recovery closely.”
Double trouble: Red card and a twisted ankle
The initial reason for Mbappe’s absence stems from last weekend’s match against Alaves, where the Frenchman was shown a red card for a reckless, studs-up challenge on midfielder Antonio Blanco. Though Blanco escaped without injury, the tackle drew immediate criticism, and the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) issued a one-match suspension.
Surprisingly, the punishment wasn’t extended further — just one game on the sidelines. He was due to return for the midweek clash against Getafe, followed by the Copa del Rey final. But then came another twist.
Late in the Arsenal match on Wednesday, Mbappe suffered an ankle injury during a heavy collision. It wasn’t picked up right away, but by Thursday morning, club doctors had flagged swelling and ligament strain.
Now, the Frenchman is set to miss not just the Bilbao match due to suspension, but likely the Getafe game as well because of the injury. His return for the El Clasico final on April 26 remains uncertain.
Barcelona looms on all fronts
With the Spanish Super Cup already lost to Barcelona earlier this season, the Whites face the real possibility of being denied all three domestic trophies by their fiercest rivals. If they fail to win La Liga and lose the Copa del Rey final, Barcelona could complete a domestic treble at Madrid’s expense.
For Ancelotti and his men, every match is a final now. There’s no room for dropped points — not with the Blaugrana four points ahead and cruising.
