With their La Liga title hopes on the line, Real Madrid will have to face Athletic Bilbao without top scorer Kylian Mbappé.
Real Madrid only have seven games left in the 2024–25 La Liga season to catch Barcelona atop the table. The Catalans are four points clear of the defending Spanish champions and have yet to suffer a La Liga defeat in 2025. Los Blancos must win the remainder of their matches to even have a chance at retaining their title.
The next test for Real Madrid in La Liga is Athletic Bilbao. Ernesto Valverde's men already defeated Real Madrid earlier in the season and will look to secure a similar result in the reverse fixture at the Santiago Bernabéu. Carlo Ancelotti's men will have to be at their best to collect all three points this weekend, but they will be at a disadvantage without Mbappé leading the line.
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Why Kylian Mbappe Isn't Playing for Real Madrid vs. Athletic Bilbao
Mbappé is not playing for Real Madrid against Athletic Bilbao because the forward received a red card last weekend against Alavés. The Frenchman is serving his one-game suspension against Athletic Bilbao and therefore is ineligible to play in the La Liga clash.
The one-game suspension came as a surprise given the nature of Mbappé's red card. The 26-year-old was sent off after committing a late, dangerous tackle that fully caught Alavés midfielder Antonio Blanco on the shin, studs up. Blanco was lucky to come out of the challenge unscathed.
Still, the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) opted against a harsher punishment and instead only handed Mbappé a one-match ban. Technically, Mbappé will be available to play against Getafe on Wednesday, Apr. 23, and then against Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final on Saturday, Apr. 26.
Standing in Mbappé's way, though, is his fitness. The France international suffered an ankle injury in Real Madrid's defeat to Arsenal at the Santiago Bernabéu and is expected to be out of action for at least a week.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Why Kylian Mbappe Isn't Playing for Real Madrid vs. Athletic Bilbao.
