‘I’ve to be smart and improve’ Kylian Mbappe ahead of UCL opener

Real Madrid’s star striker Kylian Mbappe (left) battles against Malaga’s Carlos Puga during their recent La Liga encounter. pic/AFP

Real Madrid's star striker Kylian Mbappe admitted that he needs to improve his defensive contribution to help the Los Blancos be more successful after the Spanish giants ended the last season without silverware.

Madrid begin their Champions League campaign on Tuesday against Inter Milan and will be banking on the Frenchman to be the difference maker in the final third once more - he has already scored four goals in four La Liga games. However, the 2018 World Cup winner's performances off the ball leave plenty to be desired. Mbappe, on his part, is wary of his shortcomings and is trying to address them.

"I can say that I score more goals than other players. But I have to be smart and admit that I need to improve [defensively]," said Mbappe.

Meanwhile, Madrid boss Jose Mourinho hinted at a more pragmatic approach against the Italian giants after they suffered a shock 0-1 loss to Real Betis over the weekend. "I could say I want to play well, but I don't want to play well like against Betis and lose. I want to win," said the Portuguese coach.

Reflecting on the team's performance in the defeat to Betis, Mourinho said: "After analysing our performance, we're increasingly convinced that we played well. We played as a team and that our mistakes were an anomaly. We're in good shape. We have some issues in midfield for tomorrow's game [vs Inter], but we're going to play and compete."

Real Madrid hold a slender advantage in their head-to-head battle with Inter, winning seven of their 13 encounters, with one ending in a draw. Interestingly, the Los Blancos have won all four of their most recent games against the Nerazzurri, the last of which was a 2-0 victory in 2021.

Despite history favouring the home side, Inter will enter this match with confidence, having won all three of their games this season.

Seven
No of times Real Madrid have beaten Inter Milan across 13 Champions League matches (one draw, five losses)