Real Madrid suffer a massive setback ahead of El Clasico as Kylian Mbappe is ruled out with injury following a failed late fitness test before the title-defining clash against Barcelona.
Real Madrid knocked Manchester City out of the competition for the third campaign running following Vinicius Junior's double.
Real Madrid stayed in the La Liga title race on Friday night thanks to a stroke of luck that earned a 2-1 win away to Celta Vigo.
Real Madrid were defeated in Lisbon by Benfica to finish ninth and will have to face a play-off to reach the last 16 of the Champions League against Benfica or Bodo/Glimt.
Kylian Mbappe scored twice against one of his former clubs as Real Madrid eased past Monaco 6-1 at home to boost its chances of finishing in the top eight of the Champions League league phase.
After Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti issued a warning towards La Liga claiming his side will not take the pitch if they are made to play two games in a period of less than 72 hours, La Liga president Javier Tebas pointed out that Los Blancos will be playing in a period shorter than 72 hours in the coming weeks due to their own demands.
La Liga goes into its last round of matches before the first international break of 2025. Former champions Barcelona will be hoping to extend their lead by adding to their current tally of 57 points from 26 matches.
Real Sociedad entertain Real Madrid in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semifinal on Wednesday night in a tie from which Carlo Ancelotti's side is the favourite to come out unscathed and play either FC Barcelona or Atletico Madrid in the final.
Carlos Ancelotti has labelled the injuries to Real Madrid defenders David Alaba and Antonio Rudiger as an ‘emergency’ ahead of their upcoming difficult fixture schedule.
Valencia and Real Madrid get the La Liga underway in 2025 on Friday in a match that could see Real go top, ahead of cross-town rivals Atletico and five points clear of archrivals FC Barcelona.
