Mbappé, Konaté and Valverde on track to be ready for El Clásico despite injury scares

There are just over two weeks to go until El Clásico, and Real Madrid is starting to breathe easier. According to sources consulted by ESPN, Kylian Mbappé, Ibrahima Konaté and Federico Valverde are expected to be available for the October 25 clash with Barcelona, one of the matches everyone circles on the calendar as soon as the season begins.

The list of knocks picked up during this international break is not insignificant. Mbappé felt something in his knee during France's match against Turkey, a game his country won 1-0 with a goal from him. Konaté has been dealing with a knee issue of his own since a training session last week. And Valverde hurt his ankle in the derby against Atlético, right before this break for national team duty began.

The club confirmed that Mbappé suffered a hyperextension of the posterior capsule in his left knee after scoring in France's win on September 25. A source told ESPN that the forward's own progress, and above all how much pain he himself feels, will end up dictating the pace of his return. There is no fixed timeline: it is a matter of monitoring how he responds.

With Konaté, the picture is different. The ligament issue in his knee is not considered serious, but the club has yet to decide whether to risk playing him against Villarreal or take a more cautious approach and give him a few extra days.

Valverde, on the other hand, does have a target date: the plan is for him to be available when La Liga resumes next week, with Madrid hosting Villarreal on October 10.

A demanding schedule before Camp Nou

After that match, there is no letup: a visit to Roma in the Champions League on October 14, a home game against Sevilla on the 18th, a meeting with RB Leipzig on the 21st, and then the trip to Camp Nou the following weekend to close out that stretch. Four matches in just over ten days before facing the club's fiercest rival.

Despite that congested schedule, the source consulted by ESPN struck a confident tone: the club believes Mbappé, Konaté and Valverde will all be fit to play in El Clásico.

Not all the news is encouraging, though. Éder Militão could be back around the end of October, but it seems unlikely he will have built up enough match sharpness to be included in the squad for such a special game. The center back returned to training this week following the surgery he underwent in April, which kept him out even of the World Cup. And two absences are already ruled out entirely: Ferland Mendy and Rodrygo, both dealing with long-term injuries, will remain unavailable.