Real Madrid begin their bid for a record-extending 16th European Cup on Tuesday at home to Olympique de Marseille with coach Xabi Alonso insisting Kylian Mbappé is not impatient to win the trophy and is valued as one of the leaders in the team.
The 26-year-old striker, who helped France lift the 2018 World Cup and reach the 2022 final, has won seven Ligue 1 titles and multiple individual accolades but is still chasing an elusive Champions League crown.
Mbappé moved to Madrid from Paris St Germain last year and saw his former club finally claim their first European Cup while Real fell short in their Champions League title defence after being knocked out in the quarterfinals by Arsenal.
“Kylian is part of the journey, but I don't see him as impatient. Today we talked about what the Champions League means, but we didn't talk about May (when PSG won), we talked about today,” Alonso said on Monday ahead of the clash at the Santiago Bernabeu.
“We see a project that's just beginning. One of the objectives is to win the Champions League sooner rather than later.”
La velocidad de Kylian Mbappé. 😍⚡️ pic.twitter.com/5RFRxZuMA5
— MT2 (@madrid_total2) September 15, 2025
Asked if Mbappé was a leader within the group, Alonso said, “Without a doubt. Because of his personality, his experience. He's one of them.
“When that group comes together, you know who you have to follow. Kylian is one of them.
“Kylian really likes to understand things, the game. Then he brings that individual quality. But it's not just Kylian, Vinicius Jr or Rodrygo — we need that collective quality for them to achieve those special things.”
Mbappé has scored four goals in four LaLiga games this season, while midfielder Jude Bellingham, who missed Real's four-match winning start to the season in LaLiga with a shoulder injury, has been named in the squad to face Marseille.
Marseille arrive in Madrid with two wins and two defeats from their opening Ligue 1 fixtures. They have looked solid at home but lost both of their away games, scoring nine goals in their four games while conceding four.
Lay down a marker. pic.twitter.com/T4j8xNa7dg
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) September 15, 2025
Real lost 1-0 at Ligue 1 side Lille last season in their second match of the league phase, during which they suffered three defeats that left them outside the top eight, forcing the holders into the playoffs to reach the knockout rounds.
“Marseille is a big Ligue 1 team,” Real's French defender Aurelien Tchouameni said. “I expect a difficult match, in the Champions League, as with great teams.
“I don't know if all Spaniards know them, but they are a very followed team in France.”
Also on Tuesday, Arsenal meet Athletic Bilbao away.
The Gunners suffered the deep disappointment of a semifinal exit last season, and ahead of a new campaign manager Mikel Arteta wants to use the lessons learnt to change the club's history in the competition.
Arteta's side lost to eventual winners PSG, ending their hopes of winning European club soccer's biggest prize for the first time.
“You take a lot of learnings from it,” Arteta said on Monday. “It's painful also because of the expectation that we created and the real conviction that we had within the club, the team, that we could go all the way.
“We showed a very high level of consistency and quality throughout the competition and learnt from it and tried to be better.”
Arsenal's best Champions League finish was runners-up to Barcelona in 2006.
“That tells you with our long history how difficult it is because we haven't won it yet. And that's the opportunity. That's how I see it, ” Arteta said.
“The big clubs, I mean, they try seven, eight, nine times, they win two. So in this competition, it's going to be one, and you fail much more than you succeed.
“That's the history of our club. And that's what we want to change.”
Martin Odegaard did not make the trip to Bilbao after the midfielder went off early with a shoulder injury in Saturday's 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest, joining defender Ben White, winger Bukayo Saka and forwards Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz on the sidelines.
With a much deeper squad available this season, however, after signing the likes of Viktor Gyokeres, Martin Zubimendi, Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke, Arteta is confident.
Uefa Champions League this week
Tuesday:
- Atletico Bilbao v Arsenal (6.45pm)
- PSV Eindhoven v Union Saint-Gilloise (6.45pm)
- Benfica v FK Qarabag (9pm)
- Juventus v Dortmund (9pm)
- Real Madrid v Marseille (9pm)
- Tottenham Hotspur v Villarreal (9pm)
Wednesday:
- Olympiacos FC v Pafos (6.45pm)
- Slavia Prague v Bodo Glimt (6.45pm)
- AFC Ajax v Inter Milan (9pm)
- Bayern Munich v Chelsea (9pm)
- Liverpool v Atletico Madrid (9pm)
- Paris St Germain v Atalanta (9pm)
Thursday:
- Club Brugge v Monaco (6.45pm)
- FC Copenhagen v Leverkusen (6.45pm)
- Eintracht Frankfurt v Galatasaray (9pm)
- Manchester City v Napoli (9pm)
- Newcastle v Barcelona (9pm)
- Sporting CP v Kairat (9pm)
Reuters
