Ancelotti aims to rally humiliated Real Madrid at lowly Alaves
MADRID :Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti, reeling from a 3-0 mauling at Arsenal in the Champions League quarter-final first leg, must rally his players for Sunday's trip to Alaves where they will aim to end a three-game winless run in all competitions.
Following an almost flawless campaign last season in which the Madrid side won the Champions League and LaLiga titles with only two losses across all competitions, London's midweek debacle was already Real's 11th defeat this term.
After last weekend's home defeat by Valencia in LaLiga that left Ancelotti's side four points behind leaders Barcelona, who visit Leganes on Saturday with eight games remaining, Real face a must-win game at Alaves with their title defence faltering.
They have been struggling for consistency all season and slumped to big losses away to Liverpool, at home to AC Milan and twice against Barca, who are on cloud nine after playing some of the best football supporters have seen in Europe this season.
Watching an imperious Barcelona side in the driving seat as odds-on favourites to win the treble makes Real's pain even more excruciating because many fans and pundits were expecting the polar opposite when the season started.
While Barca have been struggling with financial problems for the last few years, Real have set the bar sky high with six Champions League titles in a decade and expectations were huge following the signing of France captain Kylian Mbappe.
However, as Real and their new 'Galactico' struggled to find their mojo, Barcelona have sprung into life under the guidance of former Bayern Munich and Germany manager Hansi Flick, playing a highly entertaining, attacking style of football.
They are on a 23-game unbeaten run in all competitions and the