Hansi Flick Explains Barcelona’s Plan to Stop Kylian Mbappe in Super Cup Final

Eric García also weighed in with some tactical advice.

Hansi Flick (left) is ready for a battle with Kylian Mbappé (right). / Eric Alonso/Ion Alcoba Beitia/Getty Images

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has vowed to make the tactical changes needed to subdue Kylian Mbappé if the Real Madrid star does return in time for Sunday’s Super Cup final.

Mbappé, who sits on 29 goals in just 24 games this season across all competitions, has arrived in Saudi Arabia and has trained with Madrid after shaking off a knee injury which left him unable to feature in the semifinal triumph over Atlético Madrid.

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If Mbappé does make it back for the final, it will be his sixth appearance against Barcelona as a Madrid player and will be looking to add to his existing tally of six Clásico goals.

Despite those impressive individual statistics, Mbappé and Madrid have endured a tough run of things against Flick’s Barcelona. They lost all four meetings across 2024–25 before finally tasting victory earlier this season in a 2–1 win, giving Flick confidence that Barcelona can see out a victory regardless of the Frenchman’s involvement.

“Currently, Mbappé is the best striker,” Flick acknowledged. “He has scored a lot of goals and has world-class talent. We watched the semifinals together, the whole team.

“How many Clásicos have we played in the last year and a half? And how many have we lost? We’ve lost one. That’s what it’s about.

“I know Mbappé is a fantastic player and that he’s phenomenal when he has space behind the defense. We’ll adapt some things, as we always do. But not specifically because of Mbappé. We’re focused on our philosophy, on our ideas.”

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Eric García: Barcelona Cannot Focus Solely on Mbappé

Eric García is ready for a tough test. / David Ramirez/Soccrates/Getty Images

One of the players tasked with subduing Mbappé—assuming he plays—is Eric García, who was in his natural center back position in the semifinal but has proven a dependable option in midfield for Flick this season.

Regardless of the role given to him, Eric is well aware of the importance of working together to not only stop Mbappé, but limit Los Blancos’ other big-name forwards like Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo and Jude Bellingham.

“Mbappé is a great player, but if we improve on what we did well in El Clásico, we'll get a good result,” Eric predicted.

“Manual marking is a no-go; it would be a mistake to focus on just one player. There are many high-level players. The important thing is to approach it as a team.

“Everyone at Real Madrid is good, Mbappé is a game-changer, but whether he plays or not ... If he’s available, it’s better for everyone.”

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