Alvaro Arbeloa is hopeful that Kylian Mbappe will be lining up for Real Madrid in the near future after missing their Champions League second-leg play-off victory over Benfica.
Mbappe, who is the tournament’s top scorer in 2025-26 with 13 goals, was absent for Los Blancos during their 2-1 win over Benfica on Wednesday with a knee injury.
However, it mattered little to the 15-time European champions, who came from behind to win 3-1 on aggregate thanks to goals from Aurelien Tchouameni and Vinicius Junior.
Indeed, Madrid have now won six of the last nine occasions that they have conceded first in a Champions League home game (D1 L2).
They have reached the last 16 of UEFA’s flagship competition in all 23 seasons since that round began in 2003-04, and are the only side to achieve that impressive feat.
But with Arbeloa’s attention already turning to Monday’s LaLiga clash with Getafe, he provided an update on the fitness of Mbappe.
“Yesterday he had to leave training and on other days he has felt discomfort,” Arbeloa told reporters.
“But after yesterday’s training, we spoke with doctors and decided he should stop, recover 100 per cent and come back with confidence and without discomfort.
“From now on, we’ll have to wait and see if it’s a matter of days, and it doesn’t take too long, but he should take the time he needs.
“We have a diagnosis, but I don’t think it’s my place to give that kind of information.
“We are very clear about what is wrong with him, what has been happening to him, and what is happening to him right now. We are very clear about that.”
Our squad for the match!
@slbenfica_en pic.twitter.com/vidfy0nEKH— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden) February 25, 2026
The second leg belonged to Vinicius, though, with the Brazilian’s 80th-minute strike seeing him score in both legs of a two-legged Champions League knockout tie for the very first time for Madrid.
His brilliant performance came after a difficult week off the pitch after he claimed he was racially abused by Gianluca Prestianni in the first leg, with the Benfica midfielder suspended by UEFA for one game.
Madrid also had to make do without Jude Bellingham, Eder Militao and Rodrygo, with Arbeloa applauding his team for battling against adversity to progress to the next round.
“Of course not,” Arbeloa said when asked if it was easy without several of his big-name players. “Without Mbappe, Bellingham, Militao, Rodrygo, without all of them, it’s harder.
“That is why today’s match is so important. To have won both matches. And that with all these casualties, they have competed.”
Madrid’s reward for their win is a last 16 tie with either Sporting CP or Manchester City, with the latter becoming a regular fixture in the latter stages of the Champions League.
Should Los Blancos draw Pep Guardiola’s side, it will be the fifth consecutive season they have faced them, and the first since the LaLiga giants dumped City out of the competition in last year’s knockout play-off phase with a 6-3 aggregate win.
“The objective was to be in the pot. People have already got used to a City-Real Madrid match,” the Madrid boss added.
“I’m sure it will happen again. We don’t care, it will be complicated knowing that the second leg is away from home”.