Real Madrid Now Focuses Only on Winning La Liga

After suffering big defeats against Arsenal in the Champions League and Barcelona in the Copa del Rey, Real Madrid now has only one main goal left — to win the La Liga title.

Real Madrid will play against Celta Vigo at their home ground, Santiago Bernabeu, on Sunday. Their aim is to stay close to league leaders Barcelona. However, the recent loss in the Copa del Rey final has affected the team’s morale.

Their defense is facing serious problems. Defender Antonio Rüdiger has been banned for six matches after throwing an ice ball at the referee. He is also out for the rest of the season due to knee surgery. Ferland Mendy and David Alaba are also injured and won’t play again this season. Dani Carvajal and Éder Militão are already missing.

Coach Carlo Ancelotti has said that defense has been Real Madrid’s weak point all season, and the situation is getting worse — especially with Celta Vigo fighting to avoid relegation. Real Madrid is currently second in La Liga, four points behind Barcelona. Last season, they lost only one match, but this season they’ve already lost five.

Ancelotti, who may leave the club at the end of the season, still believes they can win the title. Now that they are out of the Champions League, they have time to prepare for the remaining matches. “We have time to prepare for the games against Celta and Barcelona. We must fight until the very end,” said Ancelotti.

After the Celta match, Real Madrid will face Barcelona at the Olympic Stadium. That match could be key to deciding who wins the league. Real wants to make sure they are not more than four points behind before that game. Barcelona will play against Real Valladolid on Saturday, in between their two Champions League semi-final matches against Inter Milan.

Earlier this season, Real Madrid beat Celta Vigo in the Copa del Rey pre-quarterfinals. However, that match was controversial because Celta was not given a clear penalty. “Every Spanish fan saw it,” said Celta striker Iago Aspas this week.

Even though Real Madrid is struggling, Aspas says they shouldn’t be ruled out of the title race. “In football, nothing is certain. Sometimes, teams that seem likely to lose end up winning. We’ll try to control the ball and attack… and then see what happens,” he added.

Meanwhile, Villarreal striker José Luis Morales (Ayoze Pérez) wants to be the top Spanish scorer in La Liga this season. He has scored 14 goals so far, one less than Athletic Bilbao’s Oihan Sancet, who is currently injured. Pérez will have a chance to add to his tally in Saturday’s game against Osasuna.