Three questions and three answers from Real Madrid 1-1 Girona

Kylian Mbappe of Real Madrid during the La Liga 2025/26 match between Real Madrid and Girona at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid, Spain, on April 10, 2026. (Photo by Guillermo Martinez/NurPhoto via Getty Images) | NurPhoto via Getty Images For the third game in a row, Real Madrid have failed to win as they settled for a 1-1 tie with Girona at the Bernabéu on Friday night. Fede Valverde scored a trademark long-distance effort early in the second half, before Thomas Lemar equalised only 11 minutes later for the Catalans.

Late penalty appeals for an elbow to Kylian Mbappé were turned down and Real Madrid were forced to settle for a point. Three answers 1. How much rotation would there be?

Given the season-defining UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg in Munich coming up on Wednesday, it was logical to expect there to be some changes to the side. That was the case in defence, where there were four changes from the team that played in the first leg on Tuesday, and midfield, where there were three changes. What didn’t change was the attack.

While on the one hand, Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior’s persistence is admirable, it also raises concerns. There’s more on Mbappé later in this piece, but the complete lack of rotation for this duo was reminiscent of late 2025, with Mbappé going for his calendar year record, eventually leading to injury, all while depriving the reserve options of game time. As it emerged that Gonzalo García could be sold this summer, he got just six minutes off the bench, his first appearance in a month, and he has not started in six weeks.