Despite investing 167.5 million euros in reinforcements last June, Real Madrid could very easily see this season end in disaster. The ‘royal’ machine has started rolling downhill toward the abyss, picking up speed, with the brakes gone and the handbrake left in the hands of an emergency driver — Alvaro Arbeloa. A man who wasn’t even supposed to be behind the wheel, as Xabi Alonso was “thrown out” halfway through the journey, forcing Real’s B-team coach to take over. He’s struggling to cope, and Madrid are seriously at risk of finishing the season without a single trophy — only the fifth time in the 21st century.The past six days have been devastating for Real’s ambitions. First, they suffered a shocking 1–2 away defeat to RCD Mallorca in La Liga, leaving them seven points behind FC Barcelona. Then they failed to impress at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium against Bayern Munich in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals, losing 1–2. It could have been worse if Kylian Mbappe hadn’t halved the deficit in the 74th minute, but the Spanish giants now face an extremely difficult task in Munich. Back in January, Real lost the Supercopa de Espana final to Barcelona (2–3), and were then knocked out of the Copa del Rey by second-division side Albacete Balompie (2–3). In the league, they already have five defeats with eight rounds remaining — more than in any of the previous three title-winning seasons. In 2019/20 they finished with three losses and +5 over Barça; in 2021/22, four losses and +13; and in 2023/24, just one defeat and +10 over the Catalans.The abyss is very close. Next Wednesday, Arbeloa’s team will play the return leg in Germany. The 43-year-old coach must find a way out of this difficult situation — and time is running out. Real will play another match this Friday, opening Matchday 31 of the Spanish league at home against Girona FC. However, the focus remains on the clash with Bayern, so they will likely face the Catalan side with a mixed lineup. Arbeloa himself confirmed this at the press conference. Jude Bellingham and Eder Militao, who came off the bench against Bayern, will start today, while the recovered Ferland Mendy is expected to come on from the bench.Ex Real Madrid star: "Vinicius is terrible, I feel sorry for him"“I want us to go out and win. Regardless of the result, I believe I fielded the best possible team against Mallorca as well. I don’t want to think about rotations. This match against Girona matters too. We’re not in the mood to experiment. I can’t wait for the game in Munich — I’ve been thinking about it since the final whistle on Tuesday. But first we must focus on this match. We want to perform well, because we’ll then have four days to recover and prepare” said Arbeloa.LA LIGA ROUND 31Friday22.00: (1.38) Real Madrid (5.40) Girona (8.50) Saturday15.00: (1.75) Sociedad (3.60) Alaves (4.90) 17.15: (2.50) Elche (3.30) Valencia (2.85) 19.30: (1.28) Barcelona (6.00) Espanyol (9.50) 22.00: (2.90) Sevilla (3.25) Atl.Madrid (2.50)Sunday15.00: (2.30) Osasuna (3.40) Betis (3.10)17.15: (2.45) Mallorca (3.20) Rayo Vallecano (3.00) 19.30: (1.75) Celta (3.50) Oviedo (5.00) 22.00: (2.35) Ath.Bilbao (3.40) Villareal (3.00)Monday22.00: (2.75) Levante (2.95) Getafe (2.85) * odds are subject to change