Xabi Alonso said Kylian Mbappé was “better” while he recovers of gastroenteritis, Real Madrid hoping to have the star forward for their last club world match against RB Salzburg.
Mbappé was absent on Wednesday when Madrid drew 1-1 with Al Hilal in his opening match in group H, after being hospitalized this week.
The French international did not trace with the team in Charlotte, in North Carolina, to face Pachuca in her second match on Sunday, remaining behind at the team’s training base in Palm Beach, Florida.
“He’s better,” said Alonso at a press conference on Saturday. “Two days ago, he returned from the hospital. He recovers, and every day we are more optimistic about recovering him for the last match against Salzburg [on Thursday]. “”
In the absence of Mbappé, striker Gonzalo García, 21, started in Miami, scoring Madrid’s goal in the 34th minute, before Rúben Neves ranked in Al Hilal.
Madrid arrived at the Club World Cup, seeking to bounce back from a disappointing season during which they failed to win a major trophy.
Coach Alonso replaced the predecessor Carlo Ancelotti, while the club quickly moved to land the Dean Huijsen and advance the arrival of Trent Alexander-Arnold. They also signed Franco Mastanuono de River Plate, who will join in August.
Alonso denied that the team must sign an additional midfielder this summer to make the team competitive.
“We are at the Club World Cup, we don’t think about it,” said Alonso. “We are not in the phase of improving the team, we are focused on this competition. I think that with whom we have, we can have a dominant midfielder. Obviously, we must work there, but with different profiles, we can do it, I am convinced.”
Madrid and Pachuca met for the last time in December in the FIFA Intercontinental Cup final, the Giants of Laliga winning 3-0.
Sunday’s match at the Bank of America Stadium will start at 3 p.m. with temperatures of more than 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
“When we play in Europe, at least in summer, the matches are later in the evening,” said goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. “This is not an excuse, they want to put it for the European market, but I don’t think it’s optimal for players and our health. I prefer to play in the evening.”
