FIFA president Gianni Infantino said his revamped Club World Cup would come to represent a “big bang” in football, where the world’s best players and teams compete to determine the best club in the world.
However, one of the biggest stars slated to participate at this summer’s tournament has played no more than a peripheral role. A nasty bout of gastroenteritis meant Kylian Mbappé didn’t feature at all during Real Madrid’s opening three games.
His first appearance came off the bench against Juventus in the round of 16, before he announced himself to the competition with a stunning acrobatic finish late on against Borussia Dortmund to help Los Blancos reach the semifinals.
“Good way to show that I feel better now...” Mbappé captioned an Instagram post after the event, leading with a snap of his strike beyond Dortmund’s Gregor Kobel. The Frenchman has staked his claim to be involved from the outset against European champions Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday, but will Xabi Alonso change tack?
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Will Kylian Mbappé Start vs. PSG in Club World Cup Semifinals?
The new Madrid boss has shifted to a 3-5-2 since Matchday 3, although Alonso has insisted on the irrelevance of configurations and the importance of overriding principles. In Mbappé’s absence, we’ve seen Vinicíus Júnior line up in close proximity to 21-year-old striker Gonzalo García, who’s perhaps been the revelation of the Club World Cup.
García is joint-top of the scoring charts this summer with four goals, and one more strike will likely see the young forward claim the Golden Boot outright. Since Mbappé returned from illness, García struck the winning goal against Juventus in the last 16 and the opening goal against Dortmund.
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He’s drawn comparisons to Madrid icon Raúl Gonzalez from his manager, but Alonso has suggested Mbappé will be in Wednesday’s starting lineup if he can prove his fitness. “Mbappé is still not in perfect shape,” the Madrid boss said after the quarterfinal. “He’s not at 100%. Now we have three days for him to fully recover for the PSG game.”
After scoring a record-breaking 44 goals for Los Blancos during his debut season, there’s no doubt that Mbappé resides in Alonso’s strongest XI, despite the potential to disrupt the collective balance Madrid have manifested in his absence.
If the former PSG superstar does come in to face his former club, García will be expected to miss out. It’d be a huge call from Alonso to drop Vini Jr for Mbappé, even if García has outperformed him in the United States this summer.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Will Kylian Mbappe Play vs. PSG in Club World Cup Semifinal?.
