Wounded Madrid hell bent on domestic success
As Real Madrid licks its wounds after a humbling UEFA Champions League quarter-final exit to Arsenal, Carlo Ancelotti must rally his troops for the LaLiga title race, which continues apace this week.
Defending champion Madrid was crushed 5-1 on aggregate by Arsenal without really offering a threat over the two legs, a major cause for concern as it trails Barcelona by four points in LaLiga.
An even bigger worry for Ancelotti is that Los Blancos have won just one of their past five matches in all competitions – a 1-0 victory over relegation-threatened Alaves last weekend.
Kylian Mbappe, Madrid's top scorer this season with 33 goals in all competitions, saw red in that game, with the Frenchman suspended for the home match against Athletic Club, which booked its place in the UEFA Europa League semi-finals with a win over Rangers.
Athletic is also still in the hunt for a UEFA Champions League finish, sitting fourth in the league with 57 points, and Madrid has not won either of its two matches without Mbappe in LaLiga this season, drawing them both.
Madrid must hope that Barcelona drops points against Celta Vigo on Sunday (AEST), or it will be staring at a seven-point deficit to the leader before it faces Athletic on Monday (AEST), a team that has lost just once in its past 22 league games and beat Madrid 2-1 in December.
So perhaps it is little wonder that Ancelotti's job hangs by a thread ahead of the Copa del Rey final later this month – a Clasico against Barcelona.
"It could be this year, next year, when my contract runs out [in June 2026]... There's no problem about it," Ancelotti said when asked about his future as Madrid's manager.
"But when I am done here, I will be grateful to this club. It could be tomorrow, in one year, or in 10 years, but I will be grateful to this club. And that's it, full stop.
"We have done very well in the last seasons, but this year we have had to suffer. Things haven't gone as expected, but in sport it happens because there are no unbeatable teams."
Barcelona was also down in the dumps after losing for the first time in 2025 in a 3-1 defeat at Borussia Dortmund, and it was up to coach Hansi Flick to offer his players some perspective.
Having thrashed last year's finalist 4-0 in the first leg, Barca qualified for the semi-finals with a 5-3 aggregate win and will play Inter Milan in the last four.
"The team has a lot of merit. There is still a long way to go, and we are not at the end," Flick said.
"In the dressing room, there was no euphoria either. I reminded them that we are in the semi-finals. Then it changed a little, and they were happier."
Barcelona will be looking to exact some measure of revenge when it hosts Celta Vigo after the reverse fixture ended 2-2. Barca was up 2-0 before Marc Casado was sent off, and the 10 men conceded two late goals to draw.
Unlike Madrid, Barcelona is still in the hunt for a treble in Flick's first season, with form currently backing it in its title push.
Barcelona is unbeaten in its past 12 LaLiga matches, winning 10 of them, and is one of three teams in the big five European leagues to remain unbeaten in 2025, along with Paris Saint-Germain and Roma.
It has also won 11 of its past 14 home games against Celta in the Spanish top-flight, including the past three.
Meanwhile, third-placed Atletico Madrid can go level on points with its city rival when it travels to Las Palmas.
Diego Simeone's Atletico has rebounded after a poor run in March to win two LaLiga games on the trot, and the coach has won eight out of nine of his matches against Las Palmas in LaLiga.
Meanwhile, son Giuliano has become a key cog in the side and earned his place in the starting line-up with five goals and seven assists this season.
"Honestly, I didn't expect him to perform like this," Diego Simeone said.
"I did think he could help us. That's why I thought about having him as another player in the squad, but he's having a very good season and I hope he can sustain it."
