Kylian Mbappé returned to training but was left uncertain for Real Madrid’s match against Real Oviedo at the Santiago Bernabéu, where about 80,000 people were expected and Oviedo arrived already relegated to Segunda División.
The night follows a bruising weekend for Madrid: they lost 0-2 to Barcelona in the Clásico and had already seen Barcelona defend the LaLiga title three jornadas before the scheduled end. Madrid’s second-place finish was secured earlier in jornada 36 when Villarreal lost 2-3 at home to Sevilla, but the result has done little to calm a season described by club observers as very disappointing and trophyless.
Real Madrid will be without Dean Huijsen, Dani Ceballos, Ferland Mendy, Rodrygo, Dani Carvajal and Federico Valverde for the fixture, and the manager faces selection questions even with Mbappé back in training after a spell on the sidelines. Mbappé has 41 goals in 41 matches this season, a figure that raises expectations whenever his name appears on a team sheet. Álvaro Arbeloa addressed his availability directly: "Kylian tendrá minutos para demostrar su compromiso con el club y, a pesar de esas cuatro tarjetas, intentar jugar estos tres partidos que quedan."
Oviedo arrive in Madrid having already been relegated after one season in the top flight, bottom of the table with 29 points and 10 points from safety. The visitors also come short-handed: Javi López and Kwasi Sibo are suspended, while Jaime Vázquez and Leander Dendoncker are recovering from injuries, leaving their squad thin for what will be, for many of their players, a farewell to top-tier Spanish football.
The match is being billed across the city as more than a final home outing; Florentino Pérez has been in the headlines recently, telling supporters that the club "es de los socios" and stressing a maximum deadline of May 23 to present candidacies in the election context that has dominated the club’s public life. Those off-field developments have run in parallel with reports of tension inside the dressing room, including fights and sustained fan criticism, and they frame the mood inside the Bernabéu even on a night against a relegated opponent.
For Real Madrid the immediate arithmetic is simple: the team has second place secured but no trophy to show for a season in which Barcelona beat them in the Supercopa de España and LaLiga and eliminated them from the Champions League quarterfinals against Bayern de Múnich. The contrast between the league finish and the empty trophy cabinet is the central grievance voiced by sections of the fanbase and one of the reasons the club’s elections and leadership dispute have taken on elevated importance this spring.
There is friction between the public promises and the matchday reality. Club figures have tried to shift the narrative toward renewal and unity, while players, supporters and directors navigate a short run of fixtures that will define short-term perceptions rather than change the season’s record. Madrid’s list of absentees underlines that even a club with secured second place must manage rotation and fitness carefully over the remaining games.
Tonight’s real madrid vs real oviedo will therefore be watched for two immediate answers: whether Mbappé is fit to play meaningful minutes, and whether the Bernabéu can supply a buoyant atmosphere that steadies a team under scrutiny. Given Arbeloa’s promise of minutes and Mbappé’s return to training, the most reasonable expectation is that he will see the field and be given a chance to answer questions about his commitment on it.
