Why is Kylian Mbappe not playing for Real Madrid vs. Barcelona today?
Real Madrid will be without star forward Kylian Mbappé for Sunday's Clásico against Barcelona. The superstar forward was questionable heading into the May 10 match, having missed last weekend's win over Espanyol with a hamstring injury. But Mbappé was not included in Madrid's squad for the match at Camp Nou, which could end with Barcelona crowned La Liga champion.
With an 11-point lead over second-place Madrid, Barcelona only needs a draw on home soil to clinch a second straight league title. Mbappé is the top scorer in La Liga with 24 goals but has been heavily criticized of late as Madrid's season has gone off the rails. The France international was seen in Paris and Sardinia in recent days as he rehabs his injury, leading his representatives to issue a statement insisting he is coordinating his recovery with the club.
"Part of the criticism is based on an over-interpretation of elements related to a recovery period strictly supervised by the club, without reflecting the reality of Kylian’s commitment and the work he puts in every day for the team," the statement read. Real Madrid is imploding as the club closes out a disappointing season that is set to end with no major trophies. Los Blancos issued €500,000 fines (about $590,050) to midfielders Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni this week after an altercation between the pair left Valverde in the hospital.
The Uruguay midfielder will be out for 10-14 days with a traumatic brain injury. The club also opened an investigation into the case. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kylian Mbappe injury: Why is Real Madrid star out vs Barcelona today?