Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti is hopeful that talismanic striker Kylian Mbappe will soon end his poor form for the club. Mbappé has scored a solitary goal in his previous seven Madrid appearances.

The Frenchman hasn’t been able to find the back of the net against Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona, AC Milan, and Osasuna.

Mbappe was left out of France’s squad by Didier Deschamps and trained with his Madrid teammates during the international break.

“[Mbappé] has had the chance to train, and he’s trained well,” Ancelotti said in a news conference on Saturday. “His condition has improved, and let’s hope tomorrow he can show all his qualities, which are a lot.”

The Italian manager said they are more focused on their defense and said he isn’t bothered with Mbappe’s offense.

“We’ve been focused more on the defence, with Raul [Asencio] and [Ferland] Mendy, trying some right-backs,” Ancelotti said. “Does Mbappé need offensive work? I don’t think so. I’m not going to show him! He can show me how a forward should work.”

The veteran head coach said Mbappe has never demanded to play at a certain position and he can switch positions with Vini Jr depending on the match situation.

“Kylian has never asked me to play in a certain position on the pitch,” Ancelotti said. “He and Vinícius [Junior] don’t have fixed positions on the pitch, they can switch position depending on the circumstances in the game.

“Every great forward has had a bad run, there are moments when they aren’t scoring. [Mbappé] looks motivated, and happy in training with his teammates, I only see that. The run will end sooner or later, I’m convinced he’ll have a good game tomorrow, it’s just a matter of time.”

The Los Blancos will take on Leganes in the La Liga at the Estadio Municipal de Butarque on Sunday.