Real Madrid went into the September window level with Barcelona at the top of La Liga, and out of it worried about the man who put them there.

Kylian Mbappe suffered a hyperextension of the posterior capsule of his left knee on France duty against Turkey on 25 September. He had scored the only goal of a 1-0 Nations League win in the 54th minute before pulling up and being replaced. Real Madrid confirmed the diagnosis the following day and described his condition only as awaiting evolution, with no timetable set for his return to training.

Spanish media put the layoff at around two weeks. That would rule him out of the trip to Villarreal on 10 October and cast doubt over the Champions League fixture at Roma on 14 October, while he is expected to be ready for El Clasico at Spotify Camp Nou on the weekend of 25 October.

Six league goals in five before the France camp

Mbappe had been the answer to Real Madrid’s wobbly start. After a 1-0 defeat at Real Betis on 4 September, the 4-1 win over Rayo Vallecano at the Bernabeu on 12 September restored the balance. Mbappe converted a 14th-minute penalty won by Alvaro Carreras, who made it 2-0 three minutes later. Jude Bellingham added a third before the break, and the Frenchman swept in his second in stoppage time from an Arda Guler pass.

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That took him to six La Liga goals in five matches, the first Real Madrid player to reach that mark in the opening five games of a top-flight season since Karim Benzema in 2021-22. Across all competitions his tally read seven in six.

Sergio Camello briefly gave Rayo hope early in the second half before Mbappe closed the game out. Jose Mourinho called it a “fundamental” win, three days after the loss at Betis had left his side chasing.

El Clasico set for 25 October at Camp Nou

Real Madrid have not named the fixtures at risk, and Football Espana notes that no return-to-training date has been floated either. On the Spanish media two-week estimate, Villarreal on 10 October comes too soon; the Champions League tie at Roma on 14 October sits on the line; Sevilla at the Bernabeu on 18 October would be the last dress rehearsal before Camp Nou. La Liga scheduled the Clasico for matchday 10, kick-off on the weekend of 25 October at Barcelona’s ground.

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