Kylian Mbappe will start on the bench for Real Madrid’s opening Club World Cup match against Al-Hilal on Wednesday.
Xabi Alonso begins his reign as Madrid’s new head coach against last year’s Saudi Pro League champions in Group H.
However, Madrid will be without Mbappe in their starting line-up as he starts the game on the bench at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
The 26-year-old, who scored 43 goals in his first season with Madrid, missed Tuesday’s training session ahead of the game against Al-Hilal as he is suffering from a fever.
‘Kylian was feeling a little better, but not enough,’ Alonso said after Tuesday’s training session.
‘It’s better for him not to train. We’ll wait until the last minute, we’ll decide tomorrow.’
In Mbappe’s absence, Alonso has opted to start 21-year-old striker Gonzalo Garcia, who has made just six senior appearances for Madrid, alongside Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo in attack.
Last season, Garcia scored 25 league goals for Real Madrid Castilla.
Real Madrid XI vs Al-Hilal
Courtois, Trent, Asencio, Huijsen, Garcia, Valverde, Tchouameni, Bellinghham, Rodrygo, Gonzalo, Vinicius Jr
Elsewhere for Madrid, their two summer signings, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dean Huijsen, are both included in the starting line-up against Al-Hilal.
Meanwhile, Al-Hilal will be without Aleksandar Mitrovic, who misses the game through injury.
The former Fulham striker scored 24 goals in all competitions for the Saudi Pro League side last season.
Al-Hilal’s match against Madrid will also be the first game in charge for their new head coach Simone Inzaghi, who left Inter two weeks ago having guided them to the Champions League final where they were beaten 5-0 by Paris Saint-Germain.
‘It’s natural that there are a lot of expectations in our first match and we tried to prepare in the best way possible,’ Inzaghi said at his press conference on Tuesday.
‘It’s true that the time wasn’t enough, as we only had four training sessions, but the players showed great seriousness and a clear desire to adapt to our new style.
‘Al Hilal are a well-established club; they have a group of wonderful players who have exceeded my expectations in terms of their level. We have a great harmony between the local and foreign players. We hope that the fans will support us and appreciate the work we are doing.’
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