Mbappe’s Real Madrid aiming to end Barca Clasico dominance

Last season, Barcelona enjoyed a dominant run against Real Madrid, claiming four victories in the Clasico encounters. This time, however, Real Madrid, spearheaded by the in-form Kylian Mbappe, is seeking to level the playing field in their La Liga matchup on Sunday.

Hansi Flick’s team achieved a domestic treble, triumphing over Madrid two times in both La Liga and during the finals of the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup, which led to Carlo Ancelotti losing his position as head coach.

The new coach Xabi Alonso has begun his tenure positively, with Madrid sitting two points ahead of Barcelona atop the league standings as they approach the contest at Santiago Bernabeu.

Concerns linger for Madrid regarding their abilities in high-stakes matches after their defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup semi-finals this summer, followed by a 5-2 loss to Atletico Madrid in a September derby.

A win in the Clasico could establish a five-point lead over their rivals, alleviating some of those issues, while Flick’s Barcelona have not yet matched the form they displayed in the previous season.

On the other hand, Madrid forward Mbappe has reached new levels in this season after concluding the last season impressively.

Before the Champions League victory over Juventus on Wednesday, during which Jude Bellingham scored the only goal, Mbappe had netted in 11 consecutive matches for both club and country.

The 26-year-old has contributed to 10 of Madrid’s 20 La Liga goals, placing him at the top of Spain’s scoring leaderboard, and he has a total of 15 goals for his club in all competitions, making up 54 percent of the team's total goals.

“We do not rely solely on him,” Madrid coach Alonso mentioned last week, despite the data suggesting the opposite.

“We are extremely pleased with his contributions; he’s proving to be crucial."

Initially, Mbappe faced challenges with his confidence and performance during his early time at Madrid, with his first Clasico being particularly disappointing.

Just one year ago from this weekend’s Clasico, Barcelona played at the Bernabeu and secured a 4-0 win, where the French star had difficulty overcoming the high defensive line set by the Catalans in his first match against them as a Madrid player.

During that game, one of Mbappe’s goals was ruled out for offside, and he was caught offside a total of eight times. The forward was described by the Spanish publication AS as “shrunken and without venom.”

“I need to alter my situation and showcase my identity as a player,” Mbappe declared a few weeks later while Madrid continued to struggle.

When Mbappe faced Barcelona again in the Spanish Super Cup final in January, he had elevated his performance significantly.

@VanguardNews