Real Madrid coach Álvaro Arbeloa said on Friday that he’s confident star forward Kylian Mbappé will be able to travel with the team for their crucial Champions League round-of-16 second-leg game at Manchester City next week.
Mbappé missed Wednesday’s 3-0 win for Madrid at the Bernabéu, with midfielder Federico Valverde stepping in to score a hattrick.
The France international has been recovering from a sprain in his left knee which has troubled him since December, with Real Madrid facing a make-or-break run of matches, including the City clash, and a LaLiga derby with Atletico Madrid.
“[Mbappé] is getting better every day,” Arbeloa said in a news conference on Friday, ahead of Madrid’s league game with Elche. “His development is progressing as it should. We made a plan. It depends on his progress, but I think he’s doing very well. He won’t be available tomorrow, but I expect he’ll travel to Manchester.”
Mbappé is Madrid’s top scorer with 38 goals in all competitions this season, but the knee problem has seen him miss some important games, including when Madrid played City in the league phase, most of the Spanish Supercopa, and the second leg of their Champions League playoff with Benfica.
Arbeloa wouldn’t say if he felt that even when Mbappé returns with his club, he should rest during the upcoming international break to ease his recovery.
“That’s a long way off,” Arbeloa said. “I want him to be able to travel to Manchester. Let’s see tomorrow and on Sunday, when we’ll make a final decision. Let’s hope he’s there, and that he’s there against Atlético Madrid [on March 22]. As for France, we’ll see when the time comes.”
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Arbeloa said he’d field a strong team to host struggling Elche on Saturday, despite the exertion of the City tie.
“Tomorrow we’ll field the best possible XI to win,” the coach said. “I’m not thinking about anything else. The players have to end each match completely exhausted, it’s their job. They have to be ready to fight like they did on Wednesday.”
The coach also praised goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who made a stunning point-blank save to preserve Madrid’s three-goal lead in the City first leg.
“I’ve played with some of the best goalkeepers in the world, some have even been considered the best in history,” Arbeloa said. “But what Courtois does is unmatched. There’s no debate, he’s undoubtedly the best goalkeeper in Real Madrid’s history, in my opinion.”
