Mbappé calibrates his aim in Carletto's final outing

After exhausting their last chances to retain the La Liga title following Barcelona's victory at Espanyol's ground, Real Madrid will step onto the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán this Sunday for a match that offers little incentive for the visiting side, other than helping Kylian Mbappé take further steps towards the Pichichi Trophy and edge closer to a Golden Boot that the Bondy star has yet to add to his accolades. The Frenchman, who has scored six goals in the last three games, will need to recalibrate his aim to add more notches to his tally, crowning him as the best gunslinger in the wild west of football in Carlo Ancelotti's final outing as Real Madrid's manager at a stadium ready to rise against Sevilla's board.

"It's a motivation. It's important for him and signifies that he has performed well this season. He has scored 40 goals. As a first season at Real Madrid, it's very good," Carletto remarked on Saturday, referring to Mbappé's race to become the top scorer not only in the Spanish League but across the continent, which will serve as an incentive for a match that will also allow the Italian to render his last away service to Real Madrid.

"We've always struggled at the Sánchez-Pizjuán. The goal is to try to finish the season well. Two games remain," noted the Reggiolo coach, pointing to injuries as the main handicap that prevented Real Madrid from putting up more of a fight against Barça. "It wasn't a matter of belief, because this team has been capable of believing in things when no one else did. The comebacks we've had in recent times are due to belief and never giving up. It was clearly a problem of injuries in defence, as they were very important players. Let's not forget that in the last clásico, the four defenders who started the season were missing. Carvajal, Militao, Rüdiger, Mendy, and Alaba were not there," the Italian recalled.

Ancelotti endorsed the signing of Dean Huijsen and continued to act as a perfect club man by denying that the board overlooked his requests for reinforcements during his four seasons at Real Madrid after returning to Chamartín in 2021. "They listened to me. Since I've been here, Real Madrid has signed, if I don't forget anyone, Camavinga, Rüdiger, Bellingham, Tchouameni, Mbappé. Could I ask for more? No," he concluded.

The infirmary remains Ancelotti's headache, as he recovers Lunin, Lucas Vázquez, and Tchouaméni for the clash against Sevilla but loses Asencio, who suffered a strain against Mallorca and remains in cotton wool. Rodrygo will also be absent, still working separately from the group due to a mysterious injury with no medical report. Thus, it seems likely that Jacobo Ramón, the architect of Wednesday's comeback with a last-minute goal against the Bermellón side, will be back in the lineup, which will differ little from the one Carletto fielded against Jagoba Arrasate's team.

Sevilla also has nothing to play for, having secured their stay on Tuesday by narrowly defeating U.D. Las Palmas and finding it impossible to reach a European spot. However, they seek to give their fans some joy to ease the anger of a congregation inflamed against the board. "We hope to play well and give a good image. That in the end, we are all happy," said Joaquín Caparrós before a match preluded by the enormous tension experienced at Sevilla's sports city following last week's defeat in Vigo and the appearance on a bridge of the Seville Ring Road of a hanging doll with a club scarf around its neck under a banner reading 'Junior, this is your end', referring to the club's president.

Sevilla: Nyland, Carmona, Badé, Ramón Martínez, Pedrosa, Agoumé, Lokonga, Suso, Söw, Lukebakio, and García Pascual.

Real Madrid: Courtois, Lucas Vázquez, Tchouaméni, Jacobo Ramón, Fran García, Valverde, Arda Güler, Modric, Bellingham, Endrick, and Mbappé.

Referee: Busquets Ferrer (Balearic Committee).

Time: 19:00 h.

Stadium: Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán.

TV: Movistar LaLiga.