Martin Keown reveals how Saliba can stop Mbappe in Champions League clash

How do you stop Kylian Mbappé?

It’s a question defenders have wrestled with for years — with most coming up short. The French superstar combines explosive pace with razor-sharp instincts, making him one of the most dangerous forwards in world football.

This season alone, he’s netted 32 goals in 46 appearances for Real Madrid across all competitions — including 7 in the Champions League.

With Los Blancos heading to the Emirates on Tuesday for the first leg of their quarter-final showdown with Arsenal, keeping Mbappé quiet will be the number one priority for the Gunners’ defense.

And with Mbappé now playing more centrally for Madrid, the responsibility will fall heavily on William Saliba — and likely Jakub Kiwior, who will be filling in for the injured Gabriel Magalhães. The Brazilian centre-back, who helped Arsenal earn the Premier League's best defensive record this season, has been ruled out with a season-ending hamstring injury.

Speaking to TalkSPORT, former Arsenal defender Martin Keown shared his insights on how Saliba and the backline should approach the Mbappé challenge.

"You do it together as a back four," Keown explained.
"Arsenal like to press. It's where you press and making sure you control him [Mbappé], he doesn't control you."

He also referred to past mistakes Arsenal made, particularly in the Carabao Cup semi-final against Newcastle, when Alexander Isak exploited space behind the Gunners' defense.

"We did see a situation against Isak for Newcastle where they had a lot of players running into space. Maybe Real Madrid have looked at that," Keown warned.

"Arsenal can go and sit very deep and then they're harder to break down. But it's initially when you lose that ball... are you going tight to your man or pushing up as a team? That needs to be worked out."

Despite the high stakes, Keown remains confident in Arsenal’s ability to rise to the occasion.

"By and large, Arsenal have done that very well, better than anyone else in the Premier League so far this season. Their defensive record is outstanding."

Still, Keown is well aware of the threat Real Madrid pose — not just with Mbappé, but with other attacking talents like Vinicius Jr. and Rodrygo.

"It will come down to a moment of brilliance," he added.
"There will be those one-v-one situations and it's about picking up the rhythm of Mbappé. He's usually flat out. You're pressing the green light and you're going for it."

"Rodrygo and Vinicius, they stop on a six-pence, they've got ABS brakes and then they run like the wind. So it’s how they use their pace. You don't really want to be isolated. Arsenal need to get bodies around to protect."

Despite Real Madrid’s dominant Champions League history — having reached the semi-finals 13 times in the last 15 years and winning it six times — Keown believes the Gunners are capable of causing an upset.

"They're capable of causing what would be a major upset. Because Real Madrid always seem to find a way to win. And it's about time they went out early in a competition."

Madrid’s recent 2-1 defeat to Valencia and their failure to keep a clean sheet since February 26 may give Arsenal some hope. And with a home crowd behind them at the Emirates, the Gunners might just pull off something special.