Last Updated on April 20, 2026 9:41 am by ZUWP Automation
Four defeats in five: the Bernabéu hosts a side in form as the home side searches for answers
There are moments in a season when the Bernabéu stops being an advantage and starts being a mirror. Real Madrid arrive at Tuesday’s fixture having won none of their last five matches in La Liga, a run of four defeats and a goalless draw that has stripped away any illusion of control. Deportivo Alavés, meanwhile, arrive unbeaten in their last four.
Match Details
- Fixture: Real Madrid vs Deportivo Alavés
- Venue: Estadio Santiago Bernabéu
- Date: 21 April 2026
- Competition: La Liga 2025/26
The Shape of a Crisis
Real Madrid’s recent form reads like a slow collapse: 0W 1D 4L in their last five matches. The sequence begins with a 1-0 home defeat to Atlético Madrid on 22 March, followed by a 1-2 loss to Bayern München at the Bernabéu on 7 April. Then a 0-1 defeat away at Mallorca, a goalless draw with Girona at home, and finally a 3-4 loss away to Bayern in the Champions League on 15 April.
The pattern is not a blip. It is a side that has stopped winning at home, stopped scoring consistently, and started conceding in volume. Against Bayern in the second leg, they shipped four. Against Atlético, they could not score a single goal on their own pitch. The Girona draw, the most recent league fixture at the Bernabéu, produced nothing at all from open play.
Into this environment steps Alavés, a side that has taken 2W 2D 1L from their last five: successive 1-0 wins over Villarreal and Valencia in March, followed by draws against Osasuna and Real Sociedad either side of a 1-3 loss at Celta de Vigo. The contrast in trajectory could not be sharper.
Key Players to Watch
Real Madrid
Kylian Mbappé carries the weight of expectation in this fixture more than anyone. His season numbers remain extraordinary: 23 goals in 26 La Liga appearances, a goals-per-game rate of 0.88, and 122 shots taken. He is the division’s top scorer, ranked first in La Liga. But in the context of this five-match run without a win, the question is not whether Mbappé can score. It is whether the side around him can provide the platform for him to do so.
Arda Güler is the engine of Madrid’s creative output and, frankly, the one player whose numbers still suggest a functioning attack. His 8 assists this season rank him 6th in La Liga, he has created 13 big chances, and his average rating of 7.39 across 31 appearances makes him the side’s most consistent performer. With 61 key passes and 44 tackles, he is doing defensive and creative work simultaneously. If Madrid are to find a way through Alavés, Güler will be central to it.
Federico Valverde provides the box-to-box engine: 5 goals, 7 assists, 39 tackles, and 1,539 passes this season. His average rating of 7.33 reflects a player who has not gone missing even as the results have deteriorated. He is Madrid’s 14th-highest passer in the division, and his ability to carry the ball forward from deep may prove decisive against a side that will look to sit compact.
Deportivo Alavés
Lucas Boyé is the most dangerous striker Alavés possess and, on current form, one of the most dangerous in the division. His 12 league goals rank him 9th in La Liga, and his shot volume is relentless: 54 shots taken this season at an average of 2.5 per game, with 19 on target. He has converted 8 of his big chances from 8 scored, and his physical presence in duels, 127 won from 357 contested, makes him a constant problem for central defenders. At the Bernabéu, with Madrid’s backline under pressure, Boyé is the man most likely to punish any lapse.
Toni Martínez provides relentless support. Eight goals, 3 assists, 74 shots taken, and a remarkable 140 aerial duels won according to La Liga data. His average rating of 7.07 places him among Alavés’s most reliable performers. With both Boyé and Martínez in the side, Alavés carry a genuine two-striker threat that Madrid’s injury-depleted and out-of-form defence will need to contain.
Antonio Blanco anchors the midfield with authority. His 74 tackles this season rank him 6th in La Liga, and his 1,428 passes place him 22nd among all outfield players in the division. With an average rating of 6.98, Blanco is the platform on which Alavés’s recent solidity has been built. Disrupting Güler and Valverde will be his primary task, and he has the numbers to suggest he can do it.
Season Stats Comparison
The individual player data tells the story of two sides at opposite ends of the quality spectrum, but with a shared characteristic: goals are being scored. Mbappé’s 23 and Boyé’s 12 represent two of the division’s most productive strikers. The difference is in the supporting cast and, right now, in momentum.
| Stat | Real Madrid | Deportivo Alavés |
|---|---|---|
| Top Scorer | Mbappé (23 goals, 1st in La Liga) | Boyé (12 goals, 9th in La Liga) |
| Top Assister | Güler (8 assists, 6th) | Aleñá (4 assists, 42nd) |
| Top Tackler | Güler (41 tackles, 88th) | Blanco (74 tackles, 6th) |
| Top Passer | Valverde (1,539 passes, 14th) | Blanco (1,428 passes, 22nd) |
| Big Chances Created | Güler (13, 12th in La Liga) | Aleñá (7, 74th) |
| Goalkeeper Saves | Courtois (58, 33rd) | Sivera (3 in limited appearances) |
The tackles comparison is particularly telling. Blanco’s 74 place him among the division’s elite ball-winners, while Madrid’s best tackler, Güler, sits at 88th. For a side that has been overrun in recent weeks, the midfield physical contest against Alavés may prove more uncomfortable than the scoreline suggests it should.
Head to Head
The historical record offers little comfort for the visitors. In their last three meetings, Real Madrid have won all three, with Alavés yet to register a win or even a draw. The most recent encounter, in December 2025, saw Alavés win 1-0 away at the Bernabéu, which stands as the one data point that cuts against the pattern: Madrid have been beaten at home in this fixture before, and in this season.
That 1-0 defeat for Madrid on 14 December 2025 is worth dwelling on. Alavés went to the Bernabéu and kept a clean sheet, winning with a single goal. The circumstances now are different, but the precedent exists: this is a side that knows how to defend deep and punish on the counter, and they have done it on this exact ground this season.
Closing Paragraph
Real Madrid’s form demands a response, and the Bernabéu demands one loudly. But form does not reset automatically because the fixture looks winnable on paper, and Alavés arrive with the confidence of a side that has taken seven points from their last five, a striker in Boyé who is among the division’s most productive, and the knowledge that they already left this ground with three points earlier in the season. The question Tuesday poses is a simple one: can Mbappé and Güler drag Madrid back to winning ways against a side that has been quietly building something, or does this crisis deepen further on home soil?