Real Madrid, led by Mbappe, wants to challenge Barcelona’s ‘El Clasico’ supremacy.

Barcelona easily defeated Real Madrid in four “El Clasico” games last season, but Los Blancos, powered by Kylian Mbappe, who is now on fire, are hoping to even the playing field on Sunday. Carlo Ancelotti’s reign came to an end as Hansi Flick’s team completed a domestic treble, defeating Madrid twice in La Liga and in the Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup finals.

With Madrid leading Barcelona by two points at the top of the league heading into the match at the Santiago Bernabeu, Xabi Alonso, the Italian’s substitute, has had a strong start.

After losing to Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup semi-finals this summer and then losing to Atletico Madrid 5-2 in a derby in September, Madrid has some concerns about how they will perform in crucial games.

A win in the “Clasico” would put them five points clear of their opponents and allay those worries, but Flick’s Barcelona hasn’t been able to replicate their performance from the previous campaign.

However, after having a solid season finale, Madrid striker Mbappe has reached new heights in the current campaign.

Before Wednesday’s Champions League victory over Juventus, in which Jude Bellingham scored the lone goal, Mbappe had scored in 11 straight club and national team games.

In addition to leading Spain’s scoring statistics with 10 of Madrid’s 20 La Liga goals, the 26-year-old has 15 goals for his team overall, accounting for 54% of their goals.

Last week, Madrid coach Alonso declared, “We’re not dependent on him,” despite the fact that the numbers suggest otherwise. “We are very happy with his performance, he’s being decisive.”

In his early days at Real Madrid, Mbappe battled with confidence and form, and his first “El Clasico” was a major letdown.

The French superstar’s inability to overcome the Catalans’ high defensive line in his debut encounter against them for Madrid was a key aspect of Barcelona’s 4-0 victory at the Bernabeu exactly a year before to this weekend’s “Clasico.”

Mbappe was caught offside eight times overall, and one of his goals was disallowed for offside. The Spanish daily ‘AS’ reported that the forward was “shrunken and without venom”.

“It’s time to change my situation and show who I am as a player,” Mbappe declared a few weeks later as Madrid’s poor play persisted.

Mbappe had shifted into a higher gear by the time he played Barcelona in the January Spanish Super Cup final.

Even though Madrid lost 5-2, Mbappe scored, just like he did in their much closer 3-2 loss in the Copa del Rey final.

Even though Mbappe, who was now playing at his best, scored a hat-trick against Barcelona in May, Los Blancos lost 4-3 at the Olympic stadium, effectively securing the league title for Flick’s team.

With a talent for identifying Mbappe’s offensive outbursts, Turkish playmaker Arda Guler has begun to establish a close bond with the striker this season.

“Arda gets between the lines and there he finds Mbappe well,” Alonso said. With Barcelona’s defense having a terrible start to the current season, Madrid is certain that Mbappe can put them behind them on Sunday with catastrophic results.