Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso said that Superstar striker Kylian Mbappe is “Better” is a quarterfinals clash against Borussia Dortmund on Saturday prior to the club, but would not confirm whether the Frenchman will start.
Mbappe missed all three group matches at the tournament with a belly bug, but returned as a replacement when Madrid Juventus beat 1-0 to reach the last eight.
Youngster Gonzalo Garcia has led the line for Madrid in all four games and scored three goals in the United States.
“He is better, he is recovering, tomorrow morning we will decide (when he starts),” Alonso told reporters on Friday, before we say that it might not mean that 21-year-old Gonzalo had to leave the team.
“They can (play together), depending on the moment and needs, they are complementary, if the context requires it and I did not exclude it in any way,” Alonso continued.
The Spaniard said he wanted the players to 'know' first 'before he revealed what his plans were for the game at the Metlife Stadium in New Jersey.
The Brazilian winger Rodrygo has not spoken much in Alonso's plans at the tournament and when he has appeared, it was not able to contribute considerably.
“I spoke with him yesterday and he has a positive mentality, he is prepared and ready when he is needed,” said Alonso.
A player who is impressed by Alonso is the 20-year-old playmaker Arda Guler, who struggled for game time under Carlo Ancelotti last season.
“It is the time to invest in a process with Arda, we will encourage him to develop and mature, but knowing that he can make mistakes and accept them,” added the Spaniard.
Saturday's game is a repeat of the 2024 UEFA Champions League final, in which Madrid Dortmund defeated 2-0 in Wembley.
If Dortmund does not retain good memories of that night, they will do the competition in armed with a lot of knowledge of Real's new coach who has been taken against Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen for the past three years.
Kovac: 'We believe'
“You see a lot of Bayer Leverkusen in Real Madrid at the moment because he is implementing his football style,” said Dortmund -coach Niko Kovac, with the Spanish giants active with a back three at the tournament.
“He plays the same form, but the quality of players is higher than at Leverkusen.
“I would say that you cannot change the world in three weeks, it takes time, but we have seen some very good things. It will be interesting and hopefully we can compete.”
Dortmund returns to the Metlife Stadium, just outside New York City, where they started their Club World Cup campaign with a 0-0 draw against Fluminense.
Now they hope to imitate the Brazilians, who qualified for the semi-final on Friday with a 2-1 win over Al-Hilal.
“When we started the tournament, we didn't know how it would go,” admitted Kovac, whose team arrived in the United States after being fourth in the German Bundesliga.
Barcelona came across their only defeat in 14 games since mid -March in the Champions League.
“Of course we are very happy because this is a great tournament and the further we go, we can see the passion and intensity that is there.
“We played Fluminense who reached the semi -final, and yet people laughed when I said they were a top team.
“Now we want to stay here and we hope and believe that we can continue to the next round.”