Barcelona has just suffered a tough defeat in the Champions League semifinals against Inter, and this Sunday they host Real Madrid in a match that could seal the La Liga title if the Blaugranas don’t lose. The Catalan side is very confident of winning the match, after all, they have been victorious in all three encounters against Los Blancos this season, in La Liga (at the Santiago Bernabéu), the Copa del Rey, and the Supercopa de España. However, there is one threat that Barcelona fans have not forgotten: Kylian Mbappé’s two outstanding performances in his visits to the Catalan capital.
Mbappé in search of the Pichichi
If we only look at Kylian Mbappé’s figures this season, we could classify them as good. The Frenchman has scored 36 goals to date – 24 in La Liga, 7 in the Champions League, 2 in the Copa del Rey, 1 in the Spanish Super Cup, 1 in the European Super Cup and 1 in the Intercontinental Cup – one behind Lewandowski in the race for the LaLiga top scorer award. However, the player has not performed at the level expected of him. Although he has put in some great performances in certain games, his overall performance has not lived up to expectations.
Real Madrid has a slim chance of winning the league title, but their only option is to win on Sunday in Barcelona, a difficult task given the season both teams have had. However, Kylian Mbappé already knows what it’s like to come out victorious from his visits to Barcelona, and not only that, he knows what it’s like to put on a show, having done so on his only two visits with PSG.
Mbappé scares Barcelona
Kylian Mbappé has visited Barcelona twice with PSG, obviously both times in the Champions League. The first was in 2021, in the round of 16, and the French footballer took it upon himself to seal the tie in the first leg. PSG took the victory with a resounding 1-4 win, with a hat-trick from the French footballer. With the tie decided, the second leg ended in a 1-1 draw, with another goal from Kylian.
The second visit was last season, in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. Xavi’s Barcelona surprised everyone at the Parc des Princes in the first leg, winning 2-3 with a poor performance from the Frenchman. However, in the return leg in Barcelona, PSG won again 4-1, with Kylian Mbappé once again the best player on the pitch with another brace.
In total, the French footballer has scored five goals against Barcelona in two decisive matches on his visits, and the Culé fans fear that it could happen again this Sunday.
Mbappé wants to redeem himself
Kyliam Mbappé is the first to know that his season has disappointed Real Madrid fans, but he is aware that he has one last chance to prove that he can be a decisive player and help his team come back from what seemed like an impossible situation in La Liga. He sees this Sunday’s visit to Barcelona as a great opportunity to redeem himself. He knows that the Catalan team will give him enough space to play his best football and that he will have chances to tip the balance in his favor. In the Copa del Rey final, he showed he could step up and lead the team, and he came close to helping Real Madrid win the trophy. Now he has one last chance this year to give Real Madrid something to cheer about and put them back in the fight for the league title. Barcelona are wounded, and now is the time to take advantage.