Why Is Kylian Mbappe Not Playing Tonight for Real Madrid vs Real Sociedad?

Photo by Aitor Alcalde/Getty Images

Why Is Kylian Mbappe Not Playing Tonight for Real Madrid vs Real Sociedad?

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Emmanuel Mendez | Last updated Feb 14, 2026 1:58 PM ET

Real Madrid have an important La Liga match at home against Real Sociedad, and a win will not only keep them in the title race, but could temporarily put them top of the league table if they win.

Real Madrid will be taking on Real Sociedad, who are unbeaten in their last 11 matches across all competitions.

Last weekend, Real Madrid defeated Valencia 2-0 away from home with key names like Vinicius Junior, who was suspended, and Jude Bellingham, who is injured and is expected to be sidelined for more than a month.

Today, Real Madrid sees Vinicius Junior back in the starting lineup but sees Gonzalo Garcia in the striker position to replace the team's top goalscorer, Kylian Mbappe.

Kylian Mbappe of Real Madrid celebrates scoring his team's second goal during the LaLiga EA Sports match between Valencia CF and Real Madrid CF at Estadi de Mestalla on February 08, 2026 in Valencia, Spain. (Photo by Aitor Alcalde/Getty Images)

The French star scored in Real Madrid's 2-0 away win against Valencia last week and is on a six-game goal-scoring streak in La Liga. Despite this, Mbappe is not included in the starting XI and is part of the bench.

Kylian Mbappe's Injury Concerns

During the week, it was reported that Kylian Mbappe missed two training sessions ahead of the Real Madrid vs Real Sociedad match.

The French star did participate in the last team training session yesterday and was included in the squad. Despite reports suggesting that Mbappe would be fine to start the match, Alvaro Arbeloa's starting lineup reveals that there is slight concern about his fitness.

Reports in Spain suggest that Mbappe has knee discomfort and is not being risked ahead of the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16 playoff match against Benfica in the next few days.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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