Kylian Mbappe‘s La Liga debut for Real Madrid did not go as planned as Los Blancos drew at Mallorca last weekend, with coach Carlo Ancelotti believing the Spanish champions lacked “balance”. The French superstar striker will make his first home appearance for Los Blancos at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday against promoted side Real Valladolid, owned by former Madrid forward and Brazil great Ronaldo.

Mbappe is on course to enjoy a similarly sizable legacy in football, but is hoping to make a far greater impact at Madrid than Ronaldo was able to, during the club’s ‘galactico’ era.

Ronaldo won just one La Liga title and failed to lift the Champions League during five seasons in the Spanish capital between 2002-07.

One of the biggest problems during that period was a top-heavy side which boasted several superstar attackers but lost lynchpin Claude Makelele.

Ancelotti has lined up with Mbappe, Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo Goes and Jude Bellingham in the 2-0 UEFA Super Cup win over Atalanta and the 1-1 Mallorca draw, but criticised his team’s balance after both matches

“We just had to do better, with more attitude, you can learn from these games – it’s clear where the problem is,” Ancelotti told reporters last week.

“We need to defend better, we need more balance.”

One issue for Madrid is that Mbappe, Vinicius and Rodrygo all prefer to be shifted towards the left flank.

Another is that by playing all three forwards, Bellingham is pushed back into a midfield role, when it seems after last season’s superb debut campaign where he helped Madrid win La Liga and the Champions League, he is most content contributing in attacking areas.

“(Balance) is found by all players thinking the same thing – when it comes to getting the ball back we all have to think about it together,” continued the Italian coach.

“It’s a team problem that they didn’t understand was a key aspect in this game, Mallorca played a great game in a defensive sense, better than us.”

While visitors Real Valladolid, who beat fellow promoted side Espanyol in their first match, do not pose too much threat to Madrid on paper, the sooner Ancelotti can get his team firing on all cylinders the happier he will be.

After years of links to Madrid, Mbappe completed his dream move this summer at the end of his Paris Saint-Germain contract.

The forward clinically struck against Atalanta in Warsaw but was shut out by Mallorca and their goalkeeper Dominik Greif.

Mbappe will hope to mark his first Bernabeu appearance for Madrid with a goal, weeks after he was greeted there by over 80,000 fans at his presentation.

Once Madrid’s forwards are on song, they will be difficult for any side to stop.

“When I saw them running towards me, I just prayed to God and asked myself — ‘what am I doing here?'” admitted Mallorca defender Pablo Maffeo.

Madrid’s remarkable firepower could prove a double-edged sword with teams rising to the challenge of stopping the attacking quartet dubbed the “fantastic four”.

“We’re going to face the best team in the world, with one of the best coaches in history and the best attack in the world today,” said Valladolid coach Paulo Pezzolano.

“We know what we’re going to face, but we’re going there convinced that we’re going to compete and bring something back home, knowing that it’s difficult, but that we can do it.”

Player to watch: Julian Alvarez

The former Manchester City striker made his Atletico debut as a substitute at Villarreal in their opening fixture but could be given a bigger role against Girona on Sunday as he makes his first appearance at the Metropolitano stadium for Diego Simeone’s new-look Rojiblancos.

Key stats

0 – Real Valladolid were the only team in La Liga not to concede a goal in the opening round of fixtures

2 – With a brace against Valencia, Robert Lewandowski is the division’s top scorer

17 – French players appeared in week one, the most represented nationality behind 285 Spaniards

Fixtures

Friday (all times GMT)

Celta Vigo v Valencia (1700), Sevilla v Villarreal (1930)

Saturday

Osasuna v Real Malloca (1500), Barcelona v Athletic Bilbao (1700), Espanyol v Real Sociedad, Getafe v Rayo Vallecano (both 1930)

Sunday

Real Madrid v Real Valladolid (1500), Leganes v Las Palmas (1700), Alaves v Real Betis (1715), Atletico Madrid v Girona (1930)

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti warned his players the Champions League final is the most “dangerous” game in football on the eve of their clash with Borussia Dortmund at Wembley. The Italian, who has won the competition as a coach a record four times, said Los Blancos were afraid the trophy could escape them. Madrid, record 14-time winners, are firm favourites for the clash against the Bundesliga side. “A Champions League final is the most important game but also the most dangerous,” Ancelotti told a news conference Friday.

“We have to enjoy being here, but knowing it can go wrong because we are close to the most important thing in football — winning a Champions League — but having the fear this can escape us.

“Things have to go very well, you need to be lucky too, success is very close and so the worry begins tomorrow morning, tomorrow afternoon.”

Real Madrid captain Nacho said he was feeling confident but nervous.

“We’ve got more nerves than in any other moment of the season,” admitted Madrid captain Nacho.

“We’re humans, it’s a calm week for (some people) but for the players it’s not. It’s special, and that makes it not calm.”

Veteran midfielder Luka Modric said despite Madrid’s strength in contrast to Dortmund, he was approaching the match as if it were an even battle.

“Everyone thinks we are big favourites, but we don’t think about it like that,” said the Croatian.

“It’s 50-50, we’re playing a big team that has had a magnificent season in the Champions League.”

Nacho and Modric, along with Toni Kroos and Dani Carvajal, would reach six career Champions League wins with a victory over Dortmund, levelling all-time leader and former Madrid great Paco Gento.

“It was hard to imagine we’d get to this moment but we are here, very happy and enjoying this moment,” said Modric.

“I hope tomorrow we can take this step further, as a team and have six European Cups would be something big.”

‘Something special’

Madrid came from behind to beat Bayern Munich in the semi-finals and have a remarkable ability to turn games around in Europe when it seems like they are defeated.

“We prefer to take the lead if it’s possible,” said Modric. 

“But we’ve shown many times this year and before, that when things don’t go well we fight until the end.

“We always find a way, we’re capable of turning the game around. We keep having this mentality, this commitment and fight, but like I said, we’d prefer to take the lead.”

Ancelotti said Madrid’s ability to come back from the dead “has happened so many times it’s not chance”.

“It’s something special… it could be the history, the quality, the tradition, the character,” he mused.

The coach confirmed goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois would start the final ahead of Andriy Lunin, resolving the main selection query ahead of the game.

“Lunin had the flu and hasn’t travelled with the team, tomorrow he will travel and will be on the bench — Courtois will play tomorrow,” said Ancelotti.

Belgian stopper Courtois returned from a long-term knee injury earlier in May and has kept four clean sheets in four appearances since.