Xabi Alonso's pivotal week at Real Madrid continues with must-win game vs. Alaves

The Spanish coach is under pressure after some disappointing results

By Francesco Porzio

Dec 14, 2025 at 10:13 am ET • 1 min read

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Real Madrid will face Alaves away on Sunday for a key match that might determine the future of Spanish manager Xabi Alonso, as the Blancos lost the last two matches against Celta Vigo and Manchester City and only won one of the last five LaLiga games. Now sitting in second place, seven points behind Barcelona, manager Xabi Alonso is aware of the growing pressure and spoke openly about it before the game.

"I always tell you that for me, the most important thing is the team and the club," he said. "We have a very important game because of the situation, and we want to change the dynamic of the results. We have a demanding opponent in front of us. That's what we're playing for [Sunday]. I've been around football for quite a few years, and in Spanish football, I'm sure that in the past there have been more dismissals at this stage than this season. My impression is that football is demanding and that there have been times with more sackings of coaches at this stage. That'll be your job over the next few days. I already have enough work to do, and I'm not going to put in extra work."

Here's what you need to know ahead of the game:

Why Real Madrid would be wrong to sack manager Xabi Alonso after Champions League defeat at home to Man City

James Benge

How to watch Alaves vs. Real Madrid, odds

Date: Sunday, Dec. 14 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
Location: Estadio de Mendizorroza -- Vitoria-Gasteiz
Live stream: ESPN+
Odds: Alaves +472; Draw +295; Real Madrid -168

Possible lineups

Alaves XI: Antonio Sivera; Jonny Otto, Nahuel Tenaglia, Jon Pacheco, Victor Parada; Antonio Blanco; Calebe, Pablo Ibanez, Denis Suarez, Abderrahman Rebbach; Lucas Boye.

Real Madrid XI: Thibaut Courtois; Federico Valverde, Raul Asencio, Antonio Rudiger, Dean Huijsen; Dani Ceballos, Aurelien Tchouameni; Rodrygo, Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior; Kylian Mbappe.

Prediction

This match is too important for the visitors, not only for the situation regarding Xabi Alonso but also for their position in the standings. Pick: Real Madrid 2, Alaves 0.