Who: <\/strong>Real Madrid vs Alaves Real Madrid \u200chave some soul-searching to do after the dramatic defeat by Bayern Munich \u2060in the Champions \u2060League quarterfinals last week left the 15-time European champions staring at the prospect of a second successive campaign without silverware.<\/p>\n list of 4 items<\/span>end of list<\/span><\/section>\n The Champions League had represented Real\u2019s last realistic route \u2060to a trophy. Their La Liga challenge has faltered, with the Madrid side trailing Barcelona by nine points with seven matches remaining.<\/p>\n Defeat by Bayern followed a shock Copa del Rey exit \u2060to second-tier Albacete in January and domestic stumbles that have drained momentum. When Real host Alaves in La Liga on Tuesday, it will be a month since they last won in any competition.<\/p>\n Barcelona, meanwhile, could clinch the title for the second successive year when they host Real at the \u200cCamp Nou on May 10 with three games to play, a twist that would compound the pain for their old rivals.<\/p>\n For Real to salvage the title, they would require a flawless finish and a collapse from Barca.<\/p>\n Alaves are battling to stay in La Liga, as just a point separates them from the relegation zone.<\/p>\n Madrid\u2019s season began unsteadily with the appointment of Xabi Alonso, who lasted six months before being replaced by former teammate Alvaro Arbeloa, promoted from his role \u2060with the second team in mid-January.<\/p>\n But while performances have shown signs of \u2060improvement, results have not.<\/p>\n Arbeloa\u2019s side took the lead three times against Bayern at the Allianz Arena, and until Eduardo Camavinga\u2019s 86th minute red card, had every chance of going through after digging deep and going blow-for-blow with the Bavarian giants in a thrilling clash.<\/p>\n A late double for Bayern consigned Madrid to a 4-3 defeat on the night \u2013 one on which Arbeloa said his team gave \u201ctheir souls and their lives\u201d \u2013 and a 6-4 aggregate loss.<\/p>\n The defeat could cost Arbeloa his job, and Los Blancos are braced for pain and possible change in the weeks and months to follow.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve always tried to help the club in the best way I can, and that\u2019s how it will be until the last day,\u201d Arbeloa told reporters after the match.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not at all worried [about my future] and I will understand perfectly any decision that the club takes.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m a man of the club \u2013 if I\u2019m hurt today it\u2019s not for me, it\u2019s for Real Madrid, and because this year we will not win our 16th [Champions League title].\u201d<\/p>\n Real\u2019s star striker, Kylian Mbappe, said on Instagram after the game that \u201cfailure has never been and never will be an option\u201d for Madrid.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need to take a hard look at ourselves to avoid this kind of disappointment again.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I promise you one thing: we will start winning again and very soon.\u201d<\/p>\n Quique Sanchez Flores has made the Basque club more entertaining to watch since becoming manager in early March, however, his side are just a point above 18th-placed Elche in the relegation zone.<\/p>\n Their last few games have been high scoring with a 3-3 draw away at Real Sociedad preceded by a 2-2 home draw with Osasuna and a 4-3 win at Celta Vigo.<\/p>\n Flores described Madrid in comments ahead of the game as a team that \u201cpushes you to the limit\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cAgainst an opponent of that stature, they will always commit you much more at the Bernabeu. We have to do things very well and have a pinch of luck, because it is a team that at times pushes you to the limit,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe must carry out our plan so that the game lasts as long as possible and we can get to the last 15 or 20 minutes well.\u201d<\/p>\n The two clubs have met on 45 occasions, with Madrid winning 37, Alaves five and three drawn.<\/p>\n Madrid have won their last eight games against Alaves, while the visitors last beat Los Blancos in November 2020 when they grabbed a shock 2-1 win at the Bernabeu.<\/p>\n Last five encounters:<\/strong><\/p>\n Kylian Mbappe\u2019s and Rodrygo Goes\u2019s goals earned Real Madrid a tense 2-1 win at\u00a0Alaves in La Liga.<\/p>\n Following Mbappe\u2019s superb opener on Sunday, Carlos Vicente pulled Alaves level in the second half, but Rodrygo secured the visitors a much-needed victory at Mendizorrotza Stadium.<\/p>\n Andrey Lunin will continue to deputise in goal as first choice keeper, Thibaut Courtois remains unavailable with the thigh injury that has forced him to miss the last five games.<\/p>\n Rodrygo will be on the sidelines for quite a while longer due to the anterior cruciate ligament injury sustained at the beginning of March.<\/p>\n Defender Raul Asencio will miss the game due to gastroenteritis.<\/p>\n However, key midfielder\u00a0Aurelien Tchouameni will return after missing the defeat to Bayern through suspension.<\/p>\n Predicted starting XI:<\/strong><\/p>\n Lunin (goalkeeper); Alexander-Arnold, Militao, Rudiger, Carreras; Valverde, Tchouameni, Guler, Bellingham; Mbappe, Vinicius Jr<\/p>\n Midfielder Carlos Benavidez has been ruled out with an injury, while left wing-back Abde Rebbach will miss out due to suspension after he picked up his fifth yellow card of the season.<\/p>\n Alaves have no other reported injuries.<\/p>\n Lucas Boye may earn himself a start after coming off the bench to score in the last two games.<\/p>\n Predicted starting XI:<\/strong><\/p>\n Sivera (goalkeeper); Perez, Otto, Tenaglia, Parada, Yusi; Ibanez, Blanco, Guridi; Martinez, Boye<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Who: Real Madrid vs AlavesWhat: La LigaWhere:\u00a0Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, SpainWhen:\u00a0Tuesday, April 21 at 8:30pm (19:30 GMT)How to follow:\u00a0We\u2019ll have all the build-up on\u00a0Al Jazeera Sport from 16:30 GMT in advance of our live text commentary stream. Real Madrid \u200chave some soul-searching to do after the dramatic defeat by Bayern Munich \u2060in the Champions \u2060League quarterfinals […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19656,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19655","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-europe-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19655","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=19655"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19655\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/19656"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=19655"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=19655"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=19655"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
What: <\/strong>La Liga
Where:\u00a0<\/strong>Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain
When:\u00a0<\/strong>Tuesday, April 21 at 8:30pm (19:30 GMT)
How to follow:\u00a0<\/strong>We\u2019ll have all the build-up on\u00a0Al Jazeera Sport from 16:30 GMT in advance of our live text commentary stream.<\/p>\nRecommended Stories <\/h2>\n
Arbeloa\u2019s job under threat<\/h2>\n
![\"Real](\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/afp_69e5f94b2bc6-1776679243.jpg?w=770&resize=770%2C513&quality=80\")
Failure \u2018not an option\u2019 for Madrid<\/h2>\n
Alaves fight for survival<\/h2>\n
![\"VITORIA-GASTEIZ,](\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/getty_69e5f2bb88-1776677563.jpg?w=770&resize=770%2C525&quality=80\")
Head-to-head<\/h2>\n
\n
What happened last time they played each other?<\/h2>\n
Real Madrid team news<\/h2>\n
Alaves team news<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"