Liga

Who: Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid
What: La Liga
Where: Santiago Bernabeau, Madrid, Spain
When: Sunday, March 22 at 9pm (20:00 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 17:00 GMT in advance of our live text commentary stream.

Madrid host rivals Atletico on Sunday at the Santiago Bernabeu, aiming to stay in touch with champions Barcelona, who currently hold a four-point lead.

Los Blancos will be seven points off the summit if Barcelona beat Rayo Vallecano earlier on Sunday.

Alvaro Arbeloa’s Madrid side dispatched Manchester City in the Champions League last 16 with two victories after entering the tie as underdogs, and it could be a turning point for a season hobbled by inconsistency.

Before the win over City, Madrid had faltered with back-to-back league defeats to Osasuna and Getafe.

Madrid will be seeking some vengeance for the 5-2 drubbing Atletico dealt them in their first league meeting at Metropolitano Stadium in September and will be hoping that Atletico’s main focus is on cup competitions – their main chances of silverware this season.

A top-four spot is virtually guaranteed for Atletico, who sit third in La Liga – 13 points clear of fifth place Real Betis.

Atletico – who will play Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey final – are also into the last eight of the Champions League after overcoming Tottenham Hotspur.

Last up for Madrid

Real Madrid’s Vinicius ⁠Jr scored ⁠twice as the Spanish side eased into the Champions League quarterfinals, ⁠beating 10-man Manchester City 2-1 at Etihad Stadium to complete a 5-1 aggregate ⁠victory.

Vinicius put the visitors ahead from the penalty spot in the 22nd minute, after the VAR judged Bernardo Silva to have handled his ‌shot on the line, a decision that also reduced City to 10 men and made an already daunting task seemingly impossible.

Pep Guardiola’s City were not waving the white flag, however, and Erling Haaland levelled ⁠in the 41st minute when ⁠he tapped in a pass from Jeremy Doku from close range.

City’s Doku and Rayan Ait-Nouri, and Real Madrid’s Federico ⁠Valverde and Vinicius had second-half goals chalked off before Vinicius ⁠completed his brace with ⁠the last kick of the game from the edge of the 6-yard box in the 93rd minute.

Vinicius’s goals were an answer to the Premier League team’s fans mocking him with a banner last season, referring to Rodri beating the Brazilian to the Ballon d’Or.

“Football is good for that, it always gives you another chance,” said Vinicius.

Arbeloa basks in ‘happiness and joy’ of win

Madrid march into the quarterfinals to face Barcelona after defeating City.

“It was a really tough tie against a team like this who have such talent,” Arbeloa after the game. “There’s happiness, there’s joy because of the performance and this continues.”

Asked about beating Guardiola, Arbeloa deflected praise to his players.

“I wouldn’t dare ‌to ‌say I can beat Pep Guardiola in terms of a tactical way, he’s an elite coach, he’s won thousands of trophies in his career, and what we’ve won is a tie,” he said. “I believe [the players] deserve the recognition for the work they put in.”

Last up for Atletico

Atletico Madrid held off Tottenham’s bid for an epic Champions League escape as they reached the quarterfinals despite a 3-2 defeat in the last-16 second leg on Wednesday.

Diego Simeone’s side trailed three times in north London but they did just enough to go through 7-5 on aggregate.

Randal Kolo Muani put Tottenham ahead in the first half before Julian Alvarez levelled immediately after the break.

Xavi Simons netted to give spirited Tottenham a glimmer of hope, but David Hancko’s equaliser extinguished any chance of an incredible comeback.

Simons’ stoppage-time penalty came too late for Tottenham to complete their mission impossible.

Numbers speak for themselves, says Simeone

Atletico ‌Madrid coach Diego Simeone said the “numbers speak for themselves” after guiding ⁠his side ⁠into the Champions League quarterfinals for the eighth time in 13 seasons.

“Sometimes you don’t need to say anything, the numbers speak for themselves,” ⁠Simeone told reporters.

“It’s a moment to be happy as a club, as a team, with the joy of our fans, who will celebrate this step towards the quarterfinals.

“When you get here, the road will be tough, as in previous ‌situations where we reached the final.”

Head-to-head

Real Madrid and Atletico have locked horns on 242 occasions, with Real Madrid winning 124 matches, Atletico winning 60, and 58 games ending as draws.

Atletico thrashed Madrid 5-2 when the clubs last met in La Liga in September 2025.

Indeed, Atletico are unbeaten in their last six league games against Madrid, with four of those games finishing in draws, and they have only lost one of their last eight games in La Liga against their rivals.

Their last encounter in any competition was a Spanish Super Cup semifinal in January, which Madrid won 2-1 courtesy of goals from Federico Valverde and Rodrygo.

Real Madrid’s team news

Kylian Mbappe made his return from a knee injury as a substitute in the second leg against City and is set to start up front alongside Vinicius Jr.

Madrid’s biggest absence may be goalkeeper Thibault Courtois, who will be out for about six weeks after picking up a muscle injury against City in midweek. Andriy Lunin is set to deputise for the big Belgian in goal.

Eder Militao, Dani Ceballos, and Rodrygo have also been ruled out with injuries. However, Alvaro Carreras, Ferland Mendy, David Alaba and Raul Asencio could all be available after recovering from their issues.

Jude Bellingham is back in full training after recovering from a hamstring injury and may make the bench.

Predicted starting XI:

Lunin (goalkeeper); Alexander-Arnold, Rudiger, Huijsen, Carreras; Camavinga, Tchouameni, Valverde; Guler; Mbappe, Vinicius Junior

Atletico Madrid’s team news

Pablo Barrios and Rodrigo Mendoza are unavailable due to injuries, and goalkeeper Jan Oblak is a major doubt due to a hip problem, with Juan Musso likely to start between the sticks.

Defender Marc Pubill is also a doubt as rib pain caused him to miss out on the midweek game against Spurs, as well as a call-up to the Spanish national team for the upcoming international break.

Predicted starting XI:

Musso (goalkeeper); Molina, Pubill, Hancko, Ruggeri; Simeone, Llorente, Cardoso, Lookman; Sorloth, Alvarez

Federico Valverde scores his fifth goal in three games as Real Madrid beat Elche to move one point behind Barcelona.

Federico Valverde hit the back of the net, and the headlines, once again for Real Madrid as they beat Elche 4-1 in La Liga, but it was Arda Guler’s last-gasp strike from inside his own half that captured imaginations.

Midfielder Valvrder netted his fifth goal in three games for Los Blancos, having scored a hat-trick in midweek against Manchester City, with a curling effort from the edge of the box just before half-time on Saturday.

It doubled his side’s lead after Antonio Rudiger volleyed home the opener in the 39th minute, following a scramble in the box from a Real corner.

Dean Huijsen was the unlikely player furthest forward to head home Real’s third in the 66th minute, but the defender was left unmarked in the box, where he remained after another corner that Elche had effectively failed to clear.

Even a late own goal by Manuel Angel could not dampen Los Blancos’ spirits, especially when Arda Guler went on to net what will surely be the goal of the season from inside his own half.

The 21-year-old Turkey midfielder spotted Elche goalkeeper Matías Dituro off his line and didn’t hesitate to launch a long lob with his left foot that sailed over the hapless ’keeper and bounced once before settling into the net.

The Santiago Bernabeu stadium erupted in applause for the memorable goal that came with the victory beyond doubt in the 89th minute.

Güler joined Madrid from Fenerbache in 2023. He has scored four goals this season, when he has gained more playing time after the exit of veteran Luka Modric.

The win moves Real to within a point of leaders Barcelona, who can restore their four-point advantage when they play Sevilla on Sunday.

The game had been a nervy affair at Bernabeu Stadium until Rudiger’s opener settled the Madrid crowd.

The victory marks a third straight win for Real, who had lost two on the bounce in the league prior to the current run, and parted company with their coach Xabi Alonso in January.

Interim coach Alvaro Arbeloa, also a former Real player, could not have asked for a better week, with one of the best performances of the season produced in Wednesday’s win against City in the UEFA Champions League.

Arbeloa’s side take a 3-0 advantage to Manchester for the return leg on Tuesday, and with the La Liga race tightening, what was looking like a nightmare season could still end with the two most coveted titles for Madrid.

Elche, who were promoted to La Liga last season, remain mired in a relegation scrap, just a point above third-bottom Mallorca, who entertain Espanyol on Sunday.

Follow our live build-up, with team news coverage as it drops, before our text commentary stream of the La Liga match.

Who: Real Madrid vs Elche
What: Spanish football’s La Liga
Where: Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid, Spain
When: Saturday, March 14 at 9pm (20:00 GMT)
How to follow: Al Jazeera Sport’s live coverage begins at 17:00 GMT

After stuttering and spluttering in Spain’s La Liga of late, Real Madrid stormed back into life with a resounding win in the UEFA Champions League in midweek.

Now the record La Liga winners return their focus on catching league leaders, and defending champions, Barcelona, in the Spanish top flight.

Elche arrive in Madrid with major concerns of their own, sitting one place above the relegation zone.

Al Jazeera Sport takes a closer look at the game.

How is Real Madrid and Barcelona’s La Liga title race looking?

Barcelona are four points clear of Real, having both played 27 matches. Barca have won 22 of their matches and lost four, while Real have lost that same number but have only won 20, drawing two more games than their rivals.

Barcelona entertain 14th-placed Seville on Sunday, meaning Real can cut the lead to just a point if they beat Elche.

How have Real Madrid fared in La Liga this season?

The turbulent time that marked the end of Xabi Alonso’s spell as Real manager appeared to return in recent weeks, with Los Blancos losing two on the bounce in La Liga for the first time this season.

With a tricky trip to Celta Vigo following the defeats by Osasuna and Getafe, Real’s title challenge appeared on the line.

A 2-1 win in Vigo, thanks to goals from Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde, last Friday cut Barca’s lead at the top to only a point, only for the Catalan club to restore their advantage with a 1-0 win at Athletic Bilbao on Saturday.

Los Blancos had won 13 of their opening 14 games in all competitions this season, only dropping points in the 5-2 defeat in the Madrid derby at Atletico.

The two wins in eight that followed set the tone for the remainder of Alonso’s time in charge, even five wins on the bounce thereafter couldn’t save the former Real midfielder from the chop, with the end coming following the Spanish Super Cup final 3-2 defeat by Barcelona.

Interim head coach, Alvaro Arbeloa, endured a torrid start – with a humiliating 3-2 defeat at Albacete in the Copa del Rey, but won the next five league games on the bounce to renew hope of catching Barcelona.

How have Elche fared in La Liga this season?

Elche were unbeaten in their opening seven games of the season, all in the league, winning four.

A seven-match winless run followed in La Liga, plunging the Alicante-based club into the relegation scrap.

Their latest winless run stretches to 11 matches – 10 in La Liga – with seven defeats in that time and only four league points snared.

Eder Sarabia’s side are now just one point and one place above the bottom three and are the only side in the competition yet to win away from home this season – losing nine of their 13 games on the road.

Last up for Real Madrid

Real’s season was given a welcome boost in midweek with a resounding 3-0 win against Manchester City – led by former Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola – in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League round-of-16 tie.

Valverde, who netted the winner last weekend in Vigo, scored a first-half hat-trick to hand Los Blancos a significant advantage heading to Manchester for the return fixture.

Last up for Elche

Elche were defeated 2-1 at Villarreal in La Liga last Sunday, in what was their fifth consecutive defeat on their travels.

The last four of those came in the league, while the run began with their Copa del Rey exit at Real Betis.

Leo Petrot had given Elche the lead in the 58th minute, but a double from Chimy Avila turned the game.

Stat attack – Elche

Elche are yet to keep a clean sheet on their travels in the league this season. In the 13 games on the road, they have conceded 26 goals – but, on a more optimistic note, they have managed to score in all but two of those games.

What happened the last time Real Madrid played Elche?

Elche secured a valuable point in a 2-2 draw in the reverse match against Real in La Liga this season.

Aleix Febas and Alvaro Rodriguez twice gave the home side the lead, the latter netting in the 84th minute, but Dean Huijsen and Jude Bellingham twice levelled for Los Blancos, before Victor Chust was sent off for the home side in injury time.

What happened the last time Elche entertained Real Madrid?

Real were 3-0 winners in this fixture in October 2022, with Federico Valverde, Karim Benzema and Marco Asensio netting the goals.

Los Blancos took the reverse fixture 4-0 in February 2023.

When did Elche last beat Real Madrid?

It has been a long wait for Elche to come away with the spoils in this fixture, with their last win – a 3-1 victory – coming in 1978.

Head-to-head

The teams have met 54 times, with Real winning 35 of the encounters. Elche have emerged victorious on six occasions.

All six of Elche’s victories have come at home.

Real Madrid team news

Kylian Mbappe’s absence remains Real’s major frustration, but the French striker heads a long list of absentees.

Ferland Mendy is a major doubt, having been forced off in the victory against Manchester City due to injury.

The defender could join Mbappe, Eder Militao, Jude Bellingham, Dani Ceballos and Rodrygo on the sidelines

Franco Mastantuono is suspended for the game, but Alvaro Carreras and David Alaba are both close to shaking off calf injuries.

Elche team news

Hector Fort, who is on loan from Barcelona, is out with a shoulder injury.

Pedro Bigas and John Donald are both injury doubts and face late fitness tests.

Predicted Real Madrid lineup

Courtois; Carvajal, Asencio, Huijsen, F Garcia; Valverde, Camavinga, Tchouameni; Guler; Vinicius, Brahim

Predicted Elche lineup

Dituro; Chust, Affengruber, Petrot; Josan, Febas, Aguado, Valera; Neto; A Silva, Rodriguez