Alvaro Arbeloa said: “Kylian Mbappé will be an important player to have against Bayern”.
Despite the ongoing question of whether Real Madrid, a team with 15 Champions League titles, can find the right balance with all their star players on the pitch, Arbeloa says Mbappé is an important part of the team.
Mbappé, the club's top scorer, did not start in either of the two matches in the round of 16 against Manchester City, which Real Madrid won impressively, due to a long-term ankle injury.
Having recovered from the injury, Arbeloa said that Mbappé is likely to play alongside Vinicius Junior in attack at the Santiago Bernabéu in the first leg of the quarter-final against Bayern.
"I'm thrilled to have such a problem, with such excellent players in the squad and a player like Kylian Mbappé, who joined Real Madrid to play matches like tomorrow's and knockout games like this," Arbeloa told reporters on Monday.
“I'm sure we'll see Kylian at his best, leading the team as he always does, and I have a lot of faith in all the players.”
International player Jude Bellingham is also recovering from injury, and Arbeloa said he would continue to rely on the team's stars when they are ready to play.
In the match against Man City, the young midfielder Thiago Pitarch and attacking midfielder Brahim Diaz played important roles, but they may see less playing time in the match against Bayern.
"Mbappé clearly has different characteristics and qualities to Brahim, so we have to play differently, but I'm happy to have this problem," Arbeloa said.
"As you mentioned Bellingham and the other excellent players I have, for me, being able to rely on everyone is a blessing...", he continued.
" Having a player like Mbappé in the team is an extraordinary privilege. I don't know if there's a coach in the world who wouldn't want him."
'I put myself in the position of the defenders who have to face Real Madrid and Mbappé, Vinicius, Valverde, Bellingham... I think they are some of the best players in the world."
The 'excellent' connection
Midfielder Vinicius Junior, who plays for Brazil, said he has worked well with Mbappé, despite some people believing that this combination is not suitable for Real Madrid.
"People are talking about it too much… Kylian is here to help us. He always gives us confidence, he scores goals for us. Tomorrow, we must come together, above all with the fans and all the players," he told reporters.
" This is a tough match, where the best players make the difference, and Kylian is one of them. I have a great relationship with him, both on and off the pitch."
Vinicius assured Real Madrid would play to the best of their ability against Bayern Munich after their disappointing performance in LaLiga on Saturday, when they lost 2-1 to Mallorca, leaving them 7 points behind league leaders Barcelona.
"Sometimes we connect more, sometimes less, and that happened in the match against Mallorca," the forward explained.
" We've just had an international break and, as the coach said, if we don't play with 200% effort today, we won't win the match."
'I hope that tomorrow we will succeed, because it is an important day for us.'
The winger, who has become a leading figure in the fight against racism, has also spoken out about anti-Muslim comments during the friendly between Spain and Egypt last week, which were criticised by Barcelona's young star Lamine Yamal.
'It's important that Lamine spoke out, and that could help everyone,' said Vinicius, who claimed he was racially abused by Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni in a Champions League match in February, a claim the Argentinian player denies.
" "I'm not saying Spain, Germany or Portugal are racist countries, but there are racists in these countries, especially in Brazil, and in many other countries too."
'But if we continue this fight together, I think that in the future, new players and, above all, everyone else will not have to endure these things.'
