Mbappé Set For Bernabéu Redemption As Real Madrid Face Barcelona One Year After Clásico Nightmare

French forward, Kylian Mbappe will lead Real Madrid’s attack against Barcelona on Sunday, exactly one year after enduring a nightmare first El Clásico at the Santiago Bernabéu.

Mbappe, who joined Real Madrid last season, struggled in that 4-0 home defeat, where he was flagged offside eight times and had two goals disallowed. His early months in Spain were challenging, but he eventually finished the campaign with 44 goals and the La Liga Golden Boot.

This season, Mbappe has hit top form, scoring 15 goals in 12 matches in all competitions. Though he failed to find the net against Juventus last week, he remains Madrid’s most consistent threat in front of goal.

Head coach Xabi Alonso believes the forward has learned from past mistakes and improved his movement off the ball. “I’m not worried at all that he didn’t score. He had several chances, and he was offside by millimetres. That kind of thing can be trained, it’s something that can be improved. But I’m not overly concerned,” Alonso said.

Mbappe has reduced his offside record this season, averaging 0.78 per match compared to 0.93 last season. His improvement was evident in Madrid’s 2-0 win over Villarreal, where he stayed onside throughout the game.

The 25-year-old has also developed a strong record against Barcelona since that first defeat, scoring five goals in three meetings last season, including a hat-trick in the league and strikes in both the Copa del Rey and Supercopa finals.

Sunday’s clash at the Bernabéu offers Mbappé another chance to shine, as Real Madrid look to maintain their lead at the top of La Liga.