Reeling from a heavy Champions League exit at the hands of Arsenal, Real Madrid return to the Bernabeu on Sunday night with plenty to prove as they host a resurgent Athletic Bilbao in a pivotal La Liga clash. With the domestic double still within reach, Los Blancos must bounce back quickly, while the visitors arrive brimming with confidence after reaching the Europa League semi-finals.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side were outclassed by Arsenal across two legs, falling 5-1 on aggregate, and the pressure has only intensified with murmurs of the Italian’s potential departure this summer. However, there is no time to dwell on European woes, as the league race is heating up. Sitting four points behind leaders Barcelona – who could stretch their lead to seven with a win over Celta Vigo – Real Madrid cannot afford any further slip-ups if they hope to keep pace.

Recent domestic form has been inconsistent, with only one win in their last five across all competitions. A narrow 1-0 victory over Alaves last weekend steadied the ship momentarily, but the absence of Kylian Mbappe through suspension is a huge blow. The Frenchman, who saw red in that game, leaves a significant void up front, likely to be filled by Rodrygo, flanked by Brahim Diaz and Vinicius Junior.

Athletic, meanwhile, arrive in high spirits. Their 2-0 win over Rangers on Thursday secured a Europa League semi-final showdown with Manchester United and extended their unbeaten run to six games in all competitions. Ernesto Valverde’s men have also been strong in La Liga, losing just four of their 31 matches and currently occupying fourth place – with a comfortable cushion inside the Champions League qualification zone.

Their away form has been resilient, suffering only three defeats on the road, and they’ve already beaten Real Madrid once this season – a 2-1 win at San Mames back in December. However, star man Inaki Williams is a doubt due to an adductor issue, meaning more responsibility may fall on his brother Nico, who has been electric on the left wing.

Valverde may rotate slightly after Thursday’s exertions, with Benat Prados and Gorka Guruzeta expected to return to the starting XI, along with first-choice goalkeeper Unai Simon. Real Madrid, still without Carvajal and Militao, may again field Federico Valverde at right-back to counter Nico Williams' pace, while Eduardo Camavinga returns from European suspension to reinforce the midfield.

With Athletic playing confident, cohesive football and Real Madrid looking bruised from their European ordeal – and without Mbappe – this feels like a potential stumbling block for the hosts. A draw seems a likely outcome, which would be another significant blow to Madrid’s fading title hopes.

在欧冠被阿森纳淘汰出局后，皇家马德里在周日晚上回到伯纳乌，他们将在西甲的关键对决中主场迎战复兴的毕尔巴鄂竞技。国内双冠王近在眼前，白衣军团必须迅速反弹，而客队在进入欧联杯半决赛后也充满了信心。

安切洛蒂的球队在两回合的比赛中被阿森纳击败，总比分以5比1落后，随着意大利人可能在今年夏天离开的传言，压力只会加剧。然而，随着联赛竞争的升温，没有时间去考虑欧洲的困境。皇马目前落后领头羊巴萨4分，如果战胜维戈塞尔塔，他们可以将领先优势扩大到7分。如果皇马希望保持领先，他们就不能再落后了。

最近的国内状态不稳定，在最近的五场比赛中只取得了一场胜利。上周末1-0险胜阿拉维斯的比赛暂时稳定了球队的状态，但姆巴佩因停赛缺阵是一个巨大的打击。在那场比赛中红场的法国人在前场留下了一个重要的空白，可能由罗德里戈填补，两侧是迪亚兹和小维尼修斯。

与此同时，运动员们兴高采烈地来到这里。在周四的欧联杯半决赛中，他们2-0战胜了流浪者队，确保了与曼联的对决，并将他们在各项赛事中的不败纪录延长到了6场。埃内斯托·巴尔韦德的球队在西甲联赛中也表现强劲，31场比赛中只输了4场，目前排名第四，在欧冠资格赛区内有一个舒适的垫底。

他们的客场状态很有弹性，只在客场遭遇了三场失利，本赛季他们已经击败了皇家马德里一次——12月在圣马梅斯2-1取胜。然而，由于内收肌的问题，明星球员Inaki Williams将会受到怀疑，这意味着更多的责任可能落在他的兄弟Nico身上，他在左翼表现出色。

巴尔韦德在周四的比赛后可能会有轻微的轮换，贝纳特·普拉多斯和古尔卡·古鲁泽塔有望回到首发阵容，还有一线门将乌奈·西蒙。皇家马德里仍然没有卡瓦哈尔和米利塔奥，他们可能会再次让巴尔韦德担任右后卫，以对抗尼科·威廉姆斯的速度，而爱德华多·卡马文加从欧洲禁赛中归来，以加强中场。

马德里竞技踢着自信而有凝聚力的足球，而皇马在欧洲赛场的磨难中伤痕累累——再加上姆巴佩的缺席——这对东道主来说似乎是一个潜在的绊脚石。一场平局似乎是可能的结果，这将是对马德里正在消退的夺冠希望的又一次重大打击。