MADRID (AFP) – Kylian Mbappe's start at Real Madrid has been satisfactory, his performances neither spectacular nor underwhelming, but Saturday's La Liga Clasico offers the French superstar a springboard to kick on from.
The derby clash against league leaders Barcelona is the kind of fixture where contributing to a victory can bank him both credit and time, as he continues to adapt to life in the Spanish capital following his move in June from Paris Saint-Germain.
Mbappe completed a "dream" switch to Madrid from PSG after years of failed attempts by the Spanish champions to lure him to La Liga.
The 25-year-old forward has scored eight times in 13 matches across all competitions but does not seem fully at home in the team, as coach Carlo Ancelotti continues to search for the best way to accommodate him.
Should he score against Barcelona and help Real Madrid match the Catalans' all-time tally of 43 consecutive La Liga matches without defeat, everything will feel easier for the striker.
"We are satisfied with him, because he's scored goals," Ancelotti told reporters Friday.
"I think he is gradually getting closer to his best level, but we are in no hurry, neither the staff nor him.
"Obviously, he will continue to improve, because he has all the qualities to do so."
Jude Bellingham created the blueprint for Mbappe last season, netting twice on his Clasico debut to snatch Madrid the game, and also scored a last-minute Bernabeu winner in the second league clash against Barcelona.
"(In Mbappe) we have a striker that can score 30, 35, 40 goals," said Ancelotti, as he took goalscoring responsibilities away from Bellingham, who is playing deeper in midfield this season.
The coach also said this week he would rather Mbappe "scores goals than presses", again highlighting his hopes that the Frenchman will increase his attacking output.
Mbappe has six goals in La Liga -- by contrast Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski leads the scoring charts with 12, with the Catalans holding a three-point lead over Madrid at the top.
PROBLEMATIC WEEKS
In midweek Real Madrid came from two goals down to thrash Borussia Dortmund 5-2 in the Champions League but Mbappe was not on the scoresheet.
The forward did help create a goal for Antonio Rudiger and looked sharp, but it was his strike partner Vinicius Junior who did the damage with a stunning hat-trick.
Mbappe, who said earlier in the season he would like to score 50 goals for Madrid, could not find the net in the kind of devastating Champions League comeback which made Madrid such an appealing destination.
The past few weeks have been problematic for the forward away from the pitch.
According to reports in Sweden, Mbappe is the subject of a rape investigation following a visit to Stockholm earlier this month, although Swedish authorities have not named him.
Mbappe has dismissed the reports as "fake news" and his lawyer told AFP the player would sue for libel.
He is involved in a wrangle with PSG over 55 million euros ($59.5 million) of back pay which the French club is refusing to pay, while he drew criticism for not appearing in France's recent Nations League games after recovering from a thigh injury.
The Clasico will not make Mbappe's problems go away but a dazzling performance would put his name back in the headlines for the right reasons.
Mbappe starts in the middle for Madrid although often drifts to his favoured left side, swapping positions with Vinicius.
"How Mbappe arrives at the Clasico -- much ado about nothing," ran a headline in Barcelona-based newspaper Mundo Deportivo on Friday.
The forward can shut mouths in Catalonia if he adds to his tally of six goals in four matches against Barcelona, all in the Champions League for PSG.
If in the past the Clasico was watched by more than half a billion viewers, hooked by Madrid great Cristiano Ronaldo's battles with Barcelona icon Lionel Messi, perhaps Mbappe and Barca's teen star Lamine Yamal will come to define the next era of the clash.
For now Mbappe would settle for a good performance and result to paper over the cracks while he continues to settle at Madrid, and Madrid's team settles around him.