Kylian Mbappé missed Real Madrid training with a fever on Tuesday, with head coach Xabi Alonso saying they will make a late decision on whether he plays in the team’s opening game of the Club World Cup.
Madrid will play Al Hilal at Hard Rock Stadium, Miami, on Wednesday afternoon in their opening match in Group H.
In the team’s open training session in Palm Beach Gardens on Tuesday, Mbappé played no part, with a club spokesperson telling ESPN the forward had a fever.
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“Kylian felt a bit better in the morning but not enough,” Alonso told reporters “There’s a lot of heat. We’ll see how he feels, tomorrow we’ll decide.”
Mbappé was one of the team’s outstanding players last season in a difficult campaign for Madrid, scoring 43 goals in all competitions.
Madrid could also be without Antonio Rüdiger, as well as Eduardo Camavinga, Dani Carvajal and Éder Militão.
“The others: all of them are in different phases,” Alonso said. “Rüdiger made a brutal effort during the season, he’s made a good effort in recovery, he’ll be back first, I don’t know if we’ll pick him in the squad.
“With the others, we’ll be a bit more calm. Camavinga is going quicker than we thought. Carvajal and Militao need a bit more time.”
The Club World Cup is a chance for new Madrid coach Xabi Alonso to begin his time in charge with a trophy.
Madrid have already added Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dean Huijsen to their squad, as they look to bounce back from a season which saw them finish second in LaLiga and eliminated in the Champions League quarterfinals.
Speaking to the media on Tuesday, centre-back Huijsen described Alonso as “a good coach with clear ideas.”
“Everyone knows what he has been, and what he is,” Huijsen said. “As a coach he’s accomplished great things, and as a player the same. We’re all excited.”
The Club World Cup has already seen some complaints from players and coaches about the heat, with Madrid’s game in Miami due to kick off at 3 p.m. ET local time.
“The truth is that the heat is counterproductive at times, but for our opponents too,” midfielder Dani Ceballos said. “We’re training at these times, and we want to be ‘comfortable’ within that discomfort.”
Temperatures for Tuesday’s match are expected to reach 32°C (89.6°F) with humidity set to hover around 70%.
The world players’ union FIFPRO has suggested FIFA should revise scheduling, if needed.
“FIFPRO has consistently advocated for comprehensive heat protection measures including mandatory cooling breaks, adjustments to kick-off times to avoid the most intense heat, and the postponement of matches when conditions pose a serious health risk to players,” FIFPRO said.
“With tournaments like the Club World Cup featuring dense match schedules and hot climates in locations such as Orlando and Miami, extreme heat is becoming an increasingly important health and safety issue in professional football.
“FIFPRO will closely monitor the situation in the coming weeks with a view to prioritising player welfare over other considerations.”
The current rules permit one mandatory break per half.
Information from Reuters was used in this report.
