Kylian Mbappé available for selection, set to participate in Real Madrid’s match against Real Sociedad.
Álvaro Arbeloa has announced that Kylian Mbappé is healthy and ready to play for Real Madrid in Saturday’s LaLiga match against Real Sociedad.
Mbappé — who has netted 38 goals this season — had spent two days training in the gym, separate from his teammates, this week, raising concerns about the star forward’s participation in the upcoming match at the Bernabéu.
Madrid enters the match just one point behind leaders Barcelona at the top of the standings, while their opponents La Real are on an 11-match unbeaten run under new manager Pellegrino Matarazzo.
“Yes, Kylian is fine,” Madrid’s manager Arbeloa stated during a news conference on Friday. “He’s trained with the group and he’s available for tomorrow’s match.”
Mbappé has faced challenges with a recurring left-knee issue in recent months — missing key matches including one against Manchester City in the Champions League, and having a limited impact in the Spanish Supercopa — and he trained indoors on Wednesday and Thursday at Madrid’s Valdebebas training facility.
Nevertheless, the France international participated in Friday’s outdoor session with his teammates in preparation for the La Real match.
Madrid has secured victories in their last seven LaLiga matches, while encountering more difficulties in other competitions, having lost 4-2 to Benfica last month, resulting in their exit from the Champions League top eight.
The club also made news this week by announcing that an agreement has been reached with UEFA, concluding the five-year dispute regarding the breakaway European Super League.
“The club has issued a statement, and I refer you to that,” Arbeloa remarked. “It’s an agreement that’s very beneficial for football.”
There has been speculation regarding the future of Dani Carvajal, as the club captain has played only 27 minutes under Arbeloa thus far.
“With Carvajal, like with everyone, I prefer to speak with them individually,” Arbeloa said when asked if he had discussed the situation with the Spain international.
“Every week we sit down on the sofa and we talk. I like to understand their perspectives. He’s improving all the time… The person most invested in having him at his best is me.”
