Injured Real Madrid superstar in contention to feature in Intercontinental Cup Final | OneFootball

Real Madrid kicked off their preparations for the upcoming Intercontinental Cup final at their Valdebebas training facility on Sunday.

However, the biggest talking about heading into this contest was the availability of star forward Kylian Mbappe.

Mbappe could feature this week

There’s cautious optimism surrounding Real Madrid as Kylian Mbappe, the team’s marquee signing, might yet make an appearance in the upcoming Intercontinental Cup final against Pachuca this Wednesday.

Despite initial concerns, the latest updates suggest a possibility for the French star to recover in time for the match, set in Qatar’s Lusail Stadium, reports COPE.

Mbappe’s recent muscle injury, sustained during a Champions League match against Atalanta, initially raised alarms about his availability for crucial upcoming games.

Mbappe may feature in Intercontinental Cup this midweek (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

However, there’s a shift in the narrative. Early reports suggested that Mbappe’s timely withdrawal from the game against Atalanta was a preventive measure to avoid a more serious injury.

Real Madrid has been training without Mbappe in the main group at Valdebebas but with plans to include him in the squad traveling to Qatar.

The club’s strategy seems to be to give him until the last moment to prove his fitness, potentially allowing him to test his condition at the match venue on Tuesday.

While the injury initially seemed a minor concern, evolving reports suggest there’s still a chance for Mbappe to feature, albeit possibly not from the start.

That said, Real Madrid must also proceed with caution, knowing they cannot afford to have Mbappe aggravating his injury and spend an extended period on the sidelines.