At a glance
- Real Madrid are fighting to keep their faint La Liga title dreams on the line against Alaves.
- We’ll see how the Bernabeu reacts, considering last week’s Champions League quarterfinal exit to Bayern Munich.
- Real Madrid Expected Line Up: Lunin; Carvajal, Militao, Huijsen, Mendy; Valverde, Tchouameni, Bellingham, Arda Güler; Vinicius, Mbappé.
Real Madrid are fighting for La Liga title race survival on Tuesday night when hosting Alaves at the Bernabeu.
Nine points behind bitter rivals FC Barcelona at the top, Los Blancos are also out in Europe following last Wednesday’s brave Champions League quarterfinal elimination to Bayern Munich.
In the hours leading up to a 21:30 kick off at local time in Spain, there’s speculation as to whether Madridistas will jeer their team or get behind them while closing in on a second consecutive season without major silverware.
Regardless, head coach Alvaro Arbeloa has shown he’s not worried by that. Nor potentially losing his job, and he must soldier on.
Real Madrid will field a new look defence of sorts
With Thibaut Courtois continuing to be unavailable, Andriy Lunin is the goalkeeper. The back line is something relatively new, however. Dani Carvajal gets the nod over Trent Alexander-Arnold, while Antonio Rudiger also tastes the bench.
That’s because Eder Militao and Dean Huijsen will partner up centrally, as Ferland Mendy continues to be viewed as more trustworthy than an Alvaro Carreras given hell by Michael Olise.
Suspended for the second leg at the Allianz, Aurelien Tchouameni returns to the heart of the midfield Arbeloa goes for a more attacking Fede Valverde and Jude Bellingham in the centre of the park, while Arda Guler is now undroppable thanks to his general form and stunning brace in Bavaria.
Seen as the cornerstones of the 2026/2027 sporing project, Vinicius Jr. and Kylian Mbappe are Alvaro Arbeloa’s strikers.
Above all, the mission here is to keep faint hopes of the La Liga title alive, and end a two-game winless streak at home before demanding fans.
Although Barca are nine points in front, it’s important to restore momentum and increase the chances of spoiling the Catalans’ potential party in El Clasico at the Spotify Camp Nou on May 10.
Real Madrid Expected Line Up: Lunin; Carvajal, Militao, Huijsen, Mendy; Valverde, Tchouameni, Bellingham, Arda Güler; Vinicius, Mbappé.
