Real Madrid go into El Clásico on the back of a 4-1 win over Sevilla, with Kylian Mbappé again at the centre of it. His two goals, scored in the 37th and 63rd minutes, took him to 9 in La Liga and 11 in 11 games in all competitions. More importantly for Madrid, it was a third straight competitive win before the trip to Barcelona.

At the Bernabéu, Real Madrid vs Sevilla turned into one of Madrid's cleaner attacking displays of the season. They were already ahead through Arda Güler before Mbappé took over, and the French forward now looks fully in rhythm at just the right point in the calendar.

Mbappé's numbers are driving the mood

Mbappé's brace was the headline because it kept a very simple trend going: when Madrid are finding him regularly, they look far more convincing. He now has 9 league goals this season, and 11 across all competitions in 11 games.

Those numbers matter in the context of this week as much as in the wider season. Madrid have not just beaten Sevilla, they have done it while extending their winning run to three competitive matches. Heading into Barcelona, that is the kind of sequence Mourinho needed.

There has been some conflicting reporting around the gap to Barcelona, with some outlets putting it at three points. The verified figure attached to this result is six, with Madrid on 18 points after the win. That still leaves pressure on the Clasico, but it makes this result feel like proper preparation rather than damage control.

The support around him was good too

Güler gave Madrid the start they wanted with the opener, reported as either the 29th or 30th minute depending on the source. The consistent detail is the finish itself: a left-footed strike that lobbed the goalkeeper and put Sevilla on the back foot.

Madrid were not relying on Mbappé alone. Yan Diomande was involved in all of their goals, which gave the attack a bit more variety than the scoreline might suggest. That secondary threat matters against a side like Sevilla, and it will matter even more next week.

Sevilla did get one back through Manu Bueno in the 80th minute, but by then the game had long since swung Madrid's way. The scoreline was already built on Mbappé's two goals and Madrid's control of the key moments.

The Barcelona trip now carries real weight

This was the timely version of Real Madrid. They won comfortably, Mbappé scored twice, and the team heads into Barcelona on a run of three straight competitive victories.

Madrid are still chasing, not leading, and the six-point gap means the Clasico has obvious edge to it. Even so, this 4-1 over Sevilla was exactly the sort of result they needed on 18 October: convincing at home, productive in front of goal, and built around a forward who now has 11 goals in 11 games.

FAQ

How important was Mbappé's brace for Real Madrid before El Clásico?

It was a big lift. Mbappé scored twice in Real Madrid's 4-1 win over Sevilla, taking him to 9 La Liga goals and 11 in 11 games in all competitions. The result also made it three straight competitive wins before the trip to Barcelona.

Who else scored in Real Madrid's win over Sevilla?

Arda Güler opened the scoring with a left-footed finish that lobbed Odysseas Vlachodimos, and Yan Diomande was involved in all of Real Madrid's goals. Sevilla's only goal came from Manu Bueno in the 80th minute.

Are Real Madrid still in the La Liga title race after beating Sevilla?

Real Madrid moved onto 18 points with the win. Reports around the gap to Barcelona have varied, but the verified figure in this match context is six points, which keeps the Clasico trip highly significant.

Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 7 outlets. How we work →