Real Madrid head into real madrid vs alavés carrying the bruises of another 4-3 defeat, this time away to Bayern Múnich in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals. The setback left the Merengue facing a fast turnaround and no room for another slip as they return to LaLiga action against an Alavés side trying to push itself clear of danger.
Madrid are nine points behind FC Barcelona in the league, a gap that makes every remaining match feel sharper. The club cannot count on Raúl Asencio, Thibaut Courtois or Rodrygo for the meeting with Alavés, and the likely 4-4-2 points to Andriy Lunin in goal behind Ferland Mendy, Antonio Rüdiger, Éder Militão and Trent Alexander-Arnold, with Arda Güler, Federico Valverde, Jude Bellingham and Brahim Díaz in midfield and Vinicius and Kylian Mbappe up front. It is a reminder that the squad is still deep, but also stretched.
Alavés arrive one point above the relegation zone after recently beating Celta de Vigo 4-3 at Balaídos, a result that offered some breathing room without solving much. The source says they need a win to move away from Elche, which leaves them in a fight that is every bit as urgent as Madrid’s title chase. For one side, the table is closing in from above; for the other, from below.
That is what gives this match its edge. Madrid are under pressure in LaLiga because they no longer have much margin if they still hope to keep the title race alive, and the Bayern defeat makes the league fixture feel heavier than a routine homecoming. Alavés, meanwhile, know that a point may not be enough to steady them for long. The game is scheduled to be shown on Deportes, Select, fuboTV and the App, putting a tense night in front of a wide audience.
In that sense, the question is not whether Real Madrid can create chances. It is whether they can respond like a team that still believes its season has a destination after the European exit. Alavés will not make that easy, and Madrid’s next test is whether they can turn a damaging week into something more stable before the pressure tightens again.
