"Real Marid players held their final training session on Monday ahead of the team's important UEFA Champions League match against Monaco. Footage shows the team preparing, with shots also showing a minute of silence called by head coach Alvaro Arbeloa in respect to those who lost their lives in the deadly train crash in Cordoba. At the press conference ahead of the tie, Arbeloa and French superstar Kylian Mbappe leapt to the defence of forward Vinicius Junior, after the Madrid faithful booed and whistled the Brazilian during the LaLiga clash with Levante on Saturday. Despite a 2-0 win, fans expressed their frustration with Vinicius amid reports that the player is set to leave Real and sign for Chelsea in the summer, following a breakdown in contract talks and a souring of his relationship with former coach Xabi Alonso. "He is a fantastic footballer, an exceptional player, one of those whom I want to have the ball at his feet as many times as possible, because he is very destabilising for the opponent," said Arbeloa. "As the coach of Real Madrid, if I want to have options to win titles, I need Vinicius." Mbappe also criticised the reaction by fans, stating that singling out a single player over the club's faltering form is unfair. "I can understand it because it's the only opportunity for the people and the Madrid fans to express their feelings," he noted. "But if they whistle, they have to whistle the whole squad. You shouldn't whistle other players more because it's not the fault of a few players, it's the fault of the whole group." "He is a person, a human being. It's normal that it affects you," he continued, backing his teammate as a 'really great player' and 'an incredible man'. "We, as a team, have to protect him better. I also have to protect him better so that he isn't in this position," he added. "He has to know that he is never going to be alone here at Real Madrid." Mbappe also discussed Real's opponents in tomorrow's Champions League match, Monaco, noting that while the French club from the principality is 'not at its best', but is always able 'to hold its own in Europe'. "It's an important match against a demanding opponent, but we're playing at home, at the Bernabeu, so everyone knows that Champions League nights at the Bernabeu are magical for us and we have to do well," he explained. Meanwhile, Arbeloa also paid his respects to those impacted by the Cordoba train crash, which cost the lives of a reported 39 people. ""I would like to express my sincere condolences to all the families and friends of those involved in the tragic accident that took place yesterday in Cordoba. From Real Madrid, we send them our love and support," he commented. Real Madrid face Monaco in the Champions League group stage, hoping to win to help cement automatic qualification for the knockout phase. While Real's victory over Levante brought them to within a point of league leaders Barcelona, Real were defeated in the Super Cup final this month by the Catalan team and were dumped out of the Copa del Rey at the hands of second-tier Albacete, leading to the dismissal of previous head coach Xabi Alonso last week."