Real Madrid Trail Barcelona by Nine Points, Face Month-Long Winless Streak Ahead of Alaves Clash

**TL;DR** Real Madrid trails league leader Barcelona by nine points with seven La Liga matches remaining. The club also faces Alaves on Tuesday, April 21, having not secured a win in any competition for a month.

Real Madrid faces a significant deficit in the La Liga title race, trailing rivals Barcelona by nine points with just seven matches left in the season. The club will enter Tuesday's home fixture against Alaves at Santiago Bernabeu following a month-long period without securing a victory across any competition. This extended winless streak complicates their domestic campaign as they strive to close the gap on the league leaders.

The current situation follows a recent exit from the Champions League quarterfinals, where Real Madrid fell 6-4 on aggregate to Bayern Munich. This defeat, combined with an earlier Copa del Rey exit to second-tier Albacete, positions the team for a second consecutive campaign without major silverware. These results place increased pressure on the club's performance in the remaining La Liga fixtures.

Team forward Kylian Mbappe recently stated that "failure has never been and will never be an option" for Real Madrid, indicating internal expectations despite the team's current form. Historically, Real Madrid holds a dominant record against Alaves, winning 37 of their 45 encounters, including their last eight consecutive matches. The upcoming opponent, Alaves, currently battles to avoid relegation, positioned just one point above the drop zone.

Real Madrid's manager, Alvaro Arbeloa, appointed in mid-January, now faces scrutiny as the team navigates this challenging period. The club’s immediate focus will be to secure a victory against Alaves to halt their winless run and maintain any realistic chance of challenging Barcelona for the La Liga title. Success in this fixture is crucial for momentum and to prevent Barcelona from potentially clinching the title when the two rivals meet on May 10. The performance against Alaves will indicate if Real Madrid can still mount a late-season challenge or if their focus must shift to preparations for the next campaign.