Real Madrid will be relying on superstar Kylian Mbappé at his very best on Wednesday as they prepare for a crucial Champions League clash against Manchester City and their unstoppable striker Erling Haaland.

After winning just two of their last seven matches, cracks are showing in Xabi Alonso’s Madrid project. Some Spanish media have even suggested a defeat to City could put Alonso’s job in jeopardy.

Mbappé, however, has often rescued Madrid with his brilliance. The French forward has scored 25 goals in 21 appearances this season, topping the scoring charts both in La Liga and the Champions League.

City, managed by Pep Guardiola, are led by Haaland, who has 20 goals in 20 games across all competitions. The Norwegian striker is one of the few players in Europe matching Mbappé as a standout star this season. Their next encounter is set for the World Cup next summer, with France facing Norway on June 26 in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

But the first chapter of that rivalry plays out at the Bernabéu, where Guardiola, a former Barcelona coach, will be eager to add to Madrid’s woes. City’s play revolves around Haaland, with most moves designed to end with him in scoring positions.

Meanwhile, Alonso’s tactical plans at Madrid have struggled amid tensions with key players, leaving the team overly reliant on Mbappé.

“The team is a flat, uninspired group clustered around Mbappé, whose goals merely mask the crisis,” wrote Spanish newspaper AS after Madrid’s 2-0 home defeat to Celta Vigo.
“If he takes a day off, there’s no alternative.”

Mbappé has been Madrid’s one constant, thriving both during their earlier 13-win streak and amid recent struggles. After a slow start following his 2024 move from Paris Saint-Germain, he hit top form in the latter half of last season, scoring 55 goals in 2025 — just four shy of Cristiano Ronaldo’s 2013 record at Real Madrid.

Despite his performances, Madrid have splintered around him. Alonso, a coach with a tactical focus rather than a man-management style like Carlo Ancelotti or Zinedine Zidane, has rotated players heavily, often leaving big names unsettled. Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo Goes, Dani Carvajal, and Trent Alexander-Arnold have all faced rotation, while Jude Bellingham’s injury and Arda Güler’s rise added further selection challenges.

Player unrest has been evident, including Vinicius’ anger after being substituted in October’s Clasico, though Madrid won that game. The scheduling of multiple away matches — partly due to the Bernabéu hosting an NFL game — has compounded the team’s inconsistency, and Alonso’s pressing ideas have faltered against high-profile opposition.

After a 1-1 draw at Girona in late November, Mbappé called on his teammates to “show who we are” and “change this dynamic.”

“It’s not just about goals for Kylian… he does other hugely fundamental things like leadership, influence, helping his teammates, and that’s so important day to day,” Alonso said, praising Mbappé’s efforts to unify the squad.

Madrid’s 3-0 win over Athletic Bilbao last week was a rare positive in their recent form, reportedly motivated in part by the promise of two days off for a victory. Yet their subsequent defeat to Celta showed just how fragile they remain, with tiny margins — like Mbappé’s lob narrowly missing the crossbar — highlighting the cracks in the squad.

Against a City side led by Haaland, those cracks will be brutally exposed. For Alonso, Mbappé’s magic may be the only hope of weathering the storm.