media takes a look at Athletic’s visit to Real Madrid, where the LaLiga defending champions’ season hangs in the balance.
Who: Real Madrid vs Athletic Club
What: Spanish LaLiga
Where: Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain
When: Sunday at 9pm local time (19:00 GMT)
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Defending champions Real Madrid are in desperate need of all three points as they entertain Athletic Bilbao in LaLiga.
The Spanish giants’ defence of their Champions League title ended with a defeat to Arsenal on Wednesday.
And with Barcelona moving seven points clear at the top of LaLiga with their 4-3 comeback win against Celta Vigo on Saturday, Los Blancos can ill afford to drop points against a team that are proving tough to topple.
Real coach Carlo Ancelotti has refused to speak about his future with the club after recent reports again linked him with a move to Brazil’s national team.
The veteran Italian manager was asked several times by reporters on Saturday at a pre-game news conference if he would leave the Spanish giant this summer, and each time he responded that he didn’t want to speak about it.
“At the end of the season, we will speak about this with the club,” he said more than once.
The 65-year-old is under contract with Madrid through June 2026.
Speculation regarding Ancelotti’s career plans once again spiked after Madrid’s exit from the Champions League.
Besides the Copa del Rey, Madrid is still in the fight to defend its LaLiga title and will also play in the Club World Cup this summer.
Brazil have reportedly been after Ancelotti since last year as they seek an elite coach for the 2026 World Cup.
The South Americans fired Dorival Junior as coach last month.
Ancelotti is the only coach to have won the Champions League five times — three times with Madrid (2014, 2022, 2024) and twice with AC Milan (2003, 2007).
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