Arbeloa on Mbappé injury, Valverde's leadership and the last-16 draw

Real Madrid are through to the Champions League last 16 after seeing off Benfica 2-1 on the night (3-1 on aggregate) at the Bernabéu — but the talk afterwards was as much about who wasn’t on the pitch as who was.

Mbappé: the elephant in the room

Kylian Mbappé missed the match after leaving training early, and Arbeloa was keen to manage expectations without giving too much away. He confirmed the club have a diagnosis but said it wasn’t his place to share the details — fair enough, really. What he did say is that Mbappé hadn’t been feeling right for a few days, and that stopping was the sensible call.

• He described it as something between a knock and a proper injury
• The hope is it’s only a matter of days before he’s back
• Arbeloa was clear: losing a player of that calibre makes the tie even more significant as a test of the squad’s depth

Not exactly the most reassuring update, but at least Madrid came through without him.

Vinicius and Valverde carrying the load

With Mbappé in the stands, others had to step up — and by all accounts they did. Arbeloa was buzzing about Vinicius, pointing to his brilliant goal and saying he’s in top form right now. The Brazilian’s importance only grows when the Frenchman isn’t available.

Fede Valverde also got a big shout-out. Arbeloa called him a proper leader and practically an extension of himself on the pitch — high praise. The Uruguayan apparently played through some discomfort too, which tells you everything about his mentality.

A slow start, a better second half

It wasn’t plain sailing, mind. Arbeloa admitted Benfica pressed them hard and that Madrid improved as the game went on — a bit of a recurring theme this season. He also had a moan about a Güler goal being ruled out, which clearly stung a bit.

He did joke — sort of — that his half-time team talks seem to work better than his pre-match ones. Modest, at least.

Eyes on the last-16 draw

With Madrid safely in the hat, Arbeloa was relaxed about the draw — almost suspiciously so. He reckoned the fans have got so used to a Manchester City tie that it’ll probably happen again. His actual words on the matter? “We’ll see what the hot balls bring us” — which is a very Spanish way of saying they’ll take whoever comes out.

Sporting CP got a mention too. Arbeloa has fond memories of Lisbon and acknowledged the Portuguese sides are always a tough ask. No fear there, just a bit of nostalgia.

The Courtois point

Arbeloa touched on comments made by Thibaut Courtois about struggling against low blocks — something that clearly resonates with the coaching staff. He agreed there’s room to improve but said he’s optimistic about the direction of travel.

All in all, a night of job done — if not entirely convincing. Madrid are through, they’ve got options even without their marquee signing, and the draw is the next thing to look forward to.