'Winning Champions League easier than LaLiga' – Arbeloa blames officials for Madrid's woes

Alvaro Arbeloa believes it is more difficult for Real Madrid to win LaLiga than it is for them to triumph in the Champions League, partly due to refereeing standards.

Arbeloa's time at the helm has been largely underwhelming to date, with Madrid in serious danger of enduring back-to-back seasons without major silverware.

Having fallen short in the Copa del Rey and the Champions League, losing a thrilling quarter-final tie to Bayern Munich in the latter competition, they trail LaLiga leaders Barcelona by nine points with seven games remaining.

No team has ever won the title from such a position, meaning Los Blancos are set to miss out on Spain's top domestic prize for the 10th time in the last 14 seasons.

But when asked about Madrid's shortcomings in the league ahead of Tuesday's meeting with Alaves, Arbeloa pointed the finger at Spanish officials, referencing a recent 1-1 draw with Girona in which Kylian Mbappe was controversially denied a penalty late on.

"In relation to our performances, I am sure that we have room for improvement in La Liga from these last few years," Arbeloa said.

"In these months, I think we have performed better in the big games than against the smaller clubs. If we talk about these three months, we have a lot of fine margins.

"But we have also experienced circumstances such as against Girona that make it easier for Real Madrid to win a Champions League than La Liga."

Madrid's poor season means Arbeloa, who only succeeded Xabi Alonso in January, is doubtful to remain on as head coach for 2026-27, but he says the club must be bullish about their future hopes.

"Two seasons without winning anything, I think the last time that happened was 20 years ago. Real Madrid is the club where things go well the most," he said.

"There are times when things don't work out, but the mentality of this club is to always look to the future.

"At Real Madrid it's not worth dwelling on losing, but it's not worth dwelling on winning either, because we know the demands that this club has and you always have to look to the future to win. We have to win the remaining seven games."

Alaves are only one point and one place clear of the relegation zone, though they boosted their survival hopes with an important 1-0 win over Valencia last time out.

However, their head coach Quique Sanchez Flores has lost 14 of his 19 encounters against Madrid in LaLiga (W4 D1), his highest number of defeats against a single opponent in his entire managerial career in the competition.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Real Madrid – Federico Valverde

Valverde has nine goal involvements (four goals, five assists) in 15 LaLiga 2025-26 matches at the Santiago Bernabeu, his best home return for Madrid in a single campaign in the competition.

Alaves – Lucas Boye

Boye has scored 11 goals in 25 matches for Alaves in LaLiga 2025-26, his highest tally in a single campaign in the competition.

He has scored four goals in his last six away matches, too, after netting just one in his previous 21 on the road.

MATCH PREDICTION – REAL MADRID WIN

Real Madrid have collected 10 of the last 21 points available to them in LaLiga (W3 D1 L3), after having secured 24 of the previous 24 possible points in the competition (P8 W8).

However, Los Blancos have won all 15 of their home matches played on a Tuesday in LaLiga, the best 100% winning rate by any team in home matches on a single day of the week.

In addition, Alaves have lost 17 of their 19 away matches against Madrid in LaLiga, winning the other two.

Only Hercules, against Atletico Madrid (P20 W1 L19), have played more away matches against a single opponent without registering a single draw in the competition's history.

Madrid have won their last eight matches against Alaves in LaLiga and could equal their best run of consecutive victories against the Vitoria side in the competition's history, achieved between 2002 and 2018 (W9).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Real Madrid – 68.2%

Alaves – 13.9%

Draw – 17.9%