Real Madrid title race still alive as Arbeloa refuses to surrender hope

Real Madrid are not pretending the math looks comfortable, but they are also not walking away from the Real Madrid title race. Tuesday’s 2-1 win over Alavés stopped a four-match winless run in all competitions, moved Los Blancos to 73 points, and kept them within six of Barcelona, even if the leaders still have a game in hand.

That is why this story matters more than a routine postgame quote. OKDIARIO’s central point is simple: Madrid still believe they have to keep pushing while the numbers allow it, especially with a Clásico still to come and six league matches left on their own schedule. Arbeloa’s postmatch remarks matched that tone almost exactly.

Why the Real Madrid title race is not over yet

The table explains both the hope and the pressure. Barcelona lead LaLiga on 79 points from 31 matches, while Real Madrid sit second on 73 from 32. Reuters reported after the Alavés game that Barça were still due to host Celta Vigo on Wednesday, which means Madrid’s position is alive on paper but fragile in practice.

That is the exact balance OKDIARIO focused on. Madrid are six points back, but because there is still a Clásico left in the run-in, the club has not fully closed the door on the title race. The issue, of course, is that one big head-to-head is not enough by itself. Barcelona would still need to drop additional points elsewhere, and Madrid would have to be nearly flawless from here.

There is no mystery inside the Bernabéu about what the equation looks like. OKDIARIO reported that Madrid’s path effectively starts with Barcelona slipping against Celta and continues with Los Blancos taking maximum points from the 18 still available to them. That is not an easy script, but it is the only one that allows the club to keep meaningful pressure on the leaders.

The emotional side is just as important as the arithmetic. After the Champions League exit to Bayern Munich and a rough domestic stretch, this squad badly needed something to hold onto. Beating Alavés did not erase the criticism, but it did give the team a reason to keep the season alive in public rather than drifting into resignation.

Arbeloa’s message says plenty about the dressing room

Arbeloa’s stance after the win was not subtle. In Real Madrid’s official postmatch press conference, he made clear that the team will keep fighting for LaLiga until it becomes mathematically impossible. He also said the squad has to demand much more from itself, regardless of opponent or circumstance.

That matters because it tells Madridistas this is not just about blind optimism. Arbeloa is not presenting the run-in as a miracle chase built on emotion alone. He is framing it as an obligation: win the remaining matches, raise the team’s standards immediately, and force Barcelona to feel some pressure if the opportunity appears.

In that sense, the Alavés result was valuable beyond the three points. Reuters reported that Mbappé and Vinicius Jr. scored the goals that ended the winless run, but the performance still left room for concern, especially after Madrid allowed a late concession in stoppage time. The team got the result it needed, but not a fully convincing reset.

That is why Arbeloa’s comments landed well. They sounded less like celebration and more like a warning to his own players. The coach’s public line was essentially that Real Madrid cannot afford to treat the end of the season as a formality, even if the title odds remain against them. For a club with these expectations, that is the only credible message.

What has to happen next

The first condition is obvious: Madrid have to win out, or close to it. Arbeloa said the objective for the six remaining games is to go out and win all of them, and OKDIARIO laid out how demanding that road will be, including a sequence of away matches before the season closes.

The second condition is external. Madrid need help. OKDIARIO’s reading of the title math is that beating Barcelona in the Clásico would still not be enough on its own; the leaders would likely need at least two more slips if Real Madrid are going to turn belief into a genuine late charge. That is the part that makes the current hope understandable but limited.

Still, this is where title races can change mood quickly. If Barcelona drop points before the Clásico, the conversation around Madrid shifts immediately from “too late” to “just maybe.” That is why Tuesday’s win mattered. It preserved the chance, however thin, for the next round of fixtures to create tension again at the top of the table.

What this means for Real Madrid

For supporters, the key takeaway is not that Madrid suddenly control the race. They do not. Barcelona still hold the stronger position in both points and scheduling. But Real Madrid have at least avoided the one outcome that would have ended the debate immediately: dropping points at home to Alavés and effectively handing over the title conversation for good.

It also means the final stretch stays relevant in several ways at once. There is the obvious scoreboard pressure, but there is also the wider test of mentality under Arbeloa. Can this team respond with six hard, professional performances? Can Mbappé and Vinicius keep delivering the decisive moments? Can Madrid turn a season that looked flat after Europe into one last meaningful domestic push? Those questions now feel open again, even if the answers are still uncertain. This is an inference based on Madrid’s current standings, recent form, and Arbeloa’s stated objectives.

That also opens the door to the kind of follow-up stories Madrid fans will keep watching closely over the next few days: the pressure on Barcelona, the tactical balance around Mbappé and Vinicius, and how Arbeloa manages urgency without losing control of the team. Those themes may end up defining the run-in almost as much as the raw points total. This is also an inference drawn from the match result, the league table, and the coach’s press conference.

Real Madrid do not have margin for error, and they do not have the luxury of waiting around. But after Alavés, they do still have a pulse in the Real Madrid title race. As long as that remains true, Madrid will believe they owe it to themselves and their fans to keep pushing until the table finally says otherwise.

Sources Used:

• OKDIARIO (https://okdiario.com/diariomadridista/real-madrid/real-madrid-no-pierde-esperanza-liga-627422)
• Real Madrid (https://www.realmadrid.com/en-US/news/football/first-team/press-conference/arbeloa-21-04-2026)
• Reuters (https://www.reuters.com/sports/soccer/real-madrid-edge-alaves-2-1-end-winless-run-2026-04-21/)
• LaLiga (https://www.laliga.com/en-GB)