Real Madrid manager Alvaro Arbeloa addresses Vinicius Junior, Jude Bellingham “untouchable” claims | OneFootball

Real Madrid are hoping to keep up their strong recent form in La Liga when they host Rayo Vallecano on Sunday. Barcelona’s victory over Elche on Saturday means Los Blancos trail by four points in the La Liga title, but a win of their own would see this cut back down to one.

As per Diario AS, head coach Alvaro Arbeloa looked ahead to the match against Rayo, which he expects to be tough.

“It’s very important and fundamental, for our aspirations in La Liga, to be able to win tomorrow. Rayo is always a very uncomfortable, pressing, aggressive team. Everyone knows their identity and the difficulty it is going to put on us. We are very focused on going out to give our maximum level to win the three points.”

Arbeloa was asked about whether he considers Thibaut Courtois, Fede Valverde, Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior to be “untouchable”, with them having played every minute of Real Madrid’s last four matches (vs Levante, AS Monaco, Villarreal and Benfica).

“I understand football debates, but I always want to have the best on the pitch. And the more minutes they can be for me, at the team’s disposal, the better. We saw it, for example, in Villarreal. With 2 minutes to go, in stoppage time, Mbappe’s goal comes from a very good action by Vinicius, who goes inside, turns the game around, finds Mbappe and is awarded a penalty.

“They are players capable of unbalancing a game at any minute. And well, because there will be people who are not Real Madrid fans who do not want them to be on the field. I imagine that what Real Madrid fans want is for their best players to always be available, always on the pitch. The five you said… they are players who can be in the top ten, worldwide. So they have my full confidence. And it’s not that it’s my confidence, but it’s their performance that puts them on the pitch.”

Image via Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images

Arbeloa expects little fan protest at Bernabeu

In the lead-up to Sunday’s match, there are murmurs of more fan discontent being displayed at the Bernabeu, as has been the cases in recent weeks. However, Arbeloa expects the Real Madrid support to be behind the team against Rayo.

“I expect a Bernabeu that is with the team, as it was in the last home game. And how they know we need. I will always ask for their support at the Bernabeu, because with them we are much stronger. They know that our objective, obviously, is to win on Sunday; to continue in the fight for La Liga, one for which we are fighting… very strongly, with a lot of desire. And if we want to stay there, we need them. They are very aware. The Monaco match showed what we are capable of when we are united; the confidence they give to the players. And that with them, together with us, everything is much easier.”