Real Madrid Pauses European Ambitions to Tackle Domestic League Challenges

Galvanised by the display they put on against Manchester City on Wednesday, a show of offensive prowess that has re-established them as one of the top contenders for this season's Champions League, where they face another explosive clash with Atlético in the round of 16, Real Madrid returns to the league race, needing to break free from the slump that has cost them the top spot.

After collecting only two points in the last three matches and feeling aggrieved by refereeing decisions, Carlo Ancelotti's team hosts a Girona side quite different from the one that visited Santiago Bernabéu last season in a match that dashed the Catalan side's title hopes and propelled the Whites. Positioned mid-table, with only three wins in their last fifteen matches across all competitions, Míchel's team will test the European hangover of a squad that will rotate to maintain the fierce battle with Barça and Atlético.

"It's a match at a very important moment of the season. We showed a good version against Manchester City and we need to repeat it. We've reached a point where we can't afford to fail. The league is very competitive, and each match can be crucial to finishing the competition well," Ancelotti emphasised in the pre-match press conference, where Real Madrid must win to avoid losing more ground after falling in Cornellà, drawing in the capital derby, and once again drawing in Pamplona.

"We've had a bit of bad luck. In the last three matches, we've done quite well. Much better against Atlético than against Espanyol. And also against Osasuna, where with ten men, we were close to winning the match. We have to continue in this line. If you play well and have a good attitude, the result will eventually reward you," Carletto explained about a bad streak that his team must end this Sunday at the Bernabéu, before facing Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey semi-final first leg next Wednesday, with an eye also on the tie against Atlético in the top continental competition.

"It will be difficult, as always, to play against Atlético. It's a beautiful, entertaining, and balanced tie. The last two encounters have been draws, which means the quality of both teams is similar," Ancelotti stated about the Euroderby that draws attention but should not serve as a distraction for a team that has lost its safety net in the most balanced championship in recent years.

"It's a league that will be decided in the last match," predicted the Real Madrid coach in a press conference where he tried to dampen the referee noise, merely stating that he wants "the cleanest competition possible" and that he will rotate his lineup in search of "fresh legs" to counteract the accumulated fatigue.

Ancelotti maintains the injury absences of Carvajal and Militao, as well as Bellingham, who will serve the first of his two-match suspension imposed on the Englishman for the infamous "fuck you" / "fuck off" directed at referee Munuera Montero in Pamplona. The Italian must also consider the physical toll on players like Rodrygo or Valverde, who are at the limit of their endurance, as is Ceballos, whose ankle caused a scare in the last training session before the match against Girona. For all these reasons, changes are expected in the full-backs, midfield, attack, and possibly even in the defensive axis, where Ancelotti is contemplating giving Alaba the starting role fourteen months later.

Amidst the biggest slump of the season, Girona arrives at Santiago Bernabéu hoping to secure a positive result that could serve as a turning point. The Catalan side has only collected three of the last fifteen points available and has suffered six defeats in their last seven matches, including the two in their Champions League farewell.

Their recent encounters with Real Madrid do not inspire much optimism, as last season they fell 0-3 in Montilivi and 4-0 at Chamartín, and this season they succumbed again 0-3 in Girona. Despite this, Míchel, who has the significant absence of Yangel Herrera due to suspension, remains confident in his team's chances. "I know the difficulty, that Madrid is the favourite, but I never think about not being able to win," remarked the Vallecano in a press conference where he acknowledged he would adapt his playing style due to "the level of the opponent."

Real Madrid: Courtois, Lucas Vázquez, Rüdiger, Alaba, Fran García, Tchouaméni, Camavinga, Modric, Brahim, Mbappé, and Vinicius.

Girona: Gazzaniga, Arnau, David López, Krejci, Miguel Gutiérrez, Oriol Romeu, Arthur, Tsygankov, Iván Martín, Bryan Gil, and Abel Ruiz.

Referee: Cuadra Fernández (Balearic Committee).

Time: 16:15 h.

Stadium: Santiago Bernabéu.

TV: Dazn.