Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.
Jose Mourinho confirmed Kylian Mbappe will start against Villarreal on Saturday before suggesting figures in the media were attempting to sow discontent between Real Madrid and their star striker.
Mbappe had initially been considered doubtful for Madrid’s first game following the international break, after suffering a minor knee injury while representing France.
Mbappe sustained the injury while scoring the only goal in Les Bleus’ 1-0 win over Turkiye on September 25 and subsequently left Zinedine Zidane’s camp for medical tests.
With those examinations showing Mbappe’s injury was not serious, he made trips to Paris and Switzerland during his recovery, drawing criticism from some onlookers on social media.
But Mourinho insists Mbappe did nothing wrong in the days following his injury, accusing reporters of looking to cause internal problems at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.
The Madrid boss said on Friday: “Mbappe was here, he got his diagnosis, he went to an external consultant – because his knee has a history that you can’t forget – and there was a complete agreement between Real Madrid’s diagnosis and this external consultant.
“In terms of his recovery, you don’t have to know all the details, but then we get into the area of looking for problems.”
@KMbappe trained at Ciudad Real Madrid. https://t.co/t1MTtYNMo9
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden) October 5, 2026
Mourinho then suggested the media were looking to turn Madrid’s fans against Mbappe, adding: “You don’t have to be Einstein to see that this is the objective.
“I hope the Bernabeu can be fair, and that means being intelligent, being able to read between the lines.
“One thing I promise is that when a Real Madrid player doesn’t behave like a Real Madrid player, they won’t see that player. They won’t have the chance to whistle, because they’ll be at home.
“So tomorrow, Mbappe will play. He won’t be on the bench, and if he plays, it’s because I’m sure that he hasn’t failed Real Madrid. He hasn’t failed to fulfil his obligations.”
Mourinho also accused reporters of being overly harsh in their criticism of Vinicius Junior, who has endured a difficult start to the campaign.
The Brazilian has only scored once in eight outings for his club across all competitions this season, but Mourinho feels an arm around the shoulder will help him get back to his best.
“What makes me feel sad is understanding that he wants to be the Vinicius who wins games, who wins trophies, who wins Champions Leagues, who makes the difference,” he said.
“It hurts me that the fans, influenced by a lot of you [the media], aren’t helping him. He deserves to be helped.”
While Madrid sit fourth in LaLiga after seven matches, six points behind Barcelona following the Blaugrana’s perfect start, Villarreal are ninth, having registered back-to-back wins prior to the hiatus.
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden) October 8, 2026
Having been passed fit by his head coach on Friday, Mbappe will look to maintain his excellent record against Villarreal.
Mbappe has scored five goals in four LaLiga appearances against the Yellow Submarine, only netting more often in the competition against Real Sociedad (seven times).
Moleiro scored one goal and assisted two as Villarreal beat Levante 3-1 before the international break.
At 22 years and 355 days old, he became the youngest Spanish player to be involved in three goals in a LaLiga match for Villarreal since Alex Baena against Rayo Vallecano in April 2024 (three assists at 22 years and 283 days old).
MATCH PREDICTION – REAL MADRID WIN
Real Madrid are unbeaten in their last six LaLiga games against Villarreal (W5 D1), winning the last four in a row, their best winning streak against them in the competition since October 2011 (W5).
Villarreal have lost 18 of their 26 away games against Madrid in LaLiga overall (W2 D6), their most away defeats against the same opponent in the competition’s history.
Los Blancos have been dominant at home lately, winning their last six LaLiga matches at the Bernabeu while scoring exactly four goals in the last four of those.
It is the first time they have scored four goals in four consecutive home league games since February 2016.
But while Mourinho’s men are favourites on their own turf, Villarreal should not be expected to simply roll over.
After failing to win any of their first five games of the season (D2 L3), Villarreal have won their last two matches in LaLiga. The Yellow Submarine have not achieved more consecutive wins in the competition since a run of six victories between October and December 2025.
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