La Liga (Spanish League) Prediction Thread 2025/26

[Hanadawa]

We saw a surprising result today in the Copa del Rey.
Albacete 3 - 2 Real Madrid
So what's next? Arbeloa failed in his debut as El Real manager, they weren't defeated by Villarreal, Atletico Madrid, or Barcelona. They lost to a team playing in a lower division, which was a humiliation for Real Madrid. Now, Real Madrid lost their chance in the Supercopa, lost their chance in the Copa del Rey & have little chance to win the La Liga title. This team has been a complete trash team this season.

Albacete isn't just a lower division team, they're also one of the worst teams in the Segunda Division. It's still early 2026, and I never thought Real Madrid could pull off such a ridiculous prank. Despite just changing coaches, Real Madrid is one of the best clubs in the world, and how could they lose in the final minutes? This was a terrible start for Álvaro Arbeloa, losing to a team that isn't even in La Liga. Coincidentally, they lost 3-2, the same scoreline they lost to Barcelona. 

[KTChampions]

Source

After Real Madrd changed coaches, I thought their performance would improve slightly, but it turned out their performance actually declined significantly. Because in the previous match,, Real Madrid lost to a team that was basically not strong at all, namely Albacete. Honestlyy, all of this was really surprising, because in this match Real Madrid lost by a fairly large score, namely 3-2, so that's why I personally really don't understand Real Madrid's current performance.

Because I thought that no matter how bad Real Madrid's performance was, they wouldn't lose to a team in the second caste in the Spanish league. But now Real Madrid has proven that Real Madrid is currently not a strong team, and I think this will continue until the end of this season and even next season I think Real Madrid will still struggle if they don't change the current player formation. Because currently, I feel that Real Madrid's players are no longer well organized at this time, and currently their chemistry is also really not good. So, currently, Real Madrid is really in a mess.

Well, to be honest, after Xabi's dismissal, I expected the team to mobilize, as usually happens when players want to prove themselves to the new coach. The only thing I can say in defense of Real is that they played with a rotating lineup and, in principle, everything wasn’t that bad, but a goal in the 5th minute of added time was difficult to recover (which doesn’t change the fact that this situation shouldn’t have arisen at all, even in the prerequisites).
But perhaps there is a plus in the fact that Real Madrid still has two major tournaments on which to concentrate completely  

[pewboy]

Actually as Madrid fans I am not really interested with Xabi Alonso tactical, most dominance playing with ball possession but lack creativities for scoring goals regarding how many games Madrid got draw and difficulty for scoring goals when the opponent teams playing full defense.

exactly each coach has a different experience and can bring a breath of fresh air and a new game, it will certainly change a lot from the game that Xabi used to play but we will only see it at the first useful draw, it is clear that the players are there and he has all the resources available

[martinom]

Arbeloa has alot of jobs to do on his side than anything. His coming into Real Madrid should already understand the personalities, the egos and the issues within the squad. When you talk about the personalities of the individual players, they are a composition of players who have gathered name and respect due to their performances and records kept playing at such top level competitions, the ego has to do with the pride they work with as players of one of the most successful and strong team in the world of football today, especially these young talented players who have not gained maturity enough to control their ego. Let's see what comes up with Arbeloa's coming to the team and hope he's able to address the right issues upon his arrival.

I think that the most difficult job is definitely managing the personalities of the players who are very exuberant, it's clear that these guys deserve a makeover in today's world these guys want everything right away and feel like they've already arrived but that's not the case.

[Lannakosa]

Albacete isn't just a lower division team, they're also one of the worst teams in the Segunda Division. It's still early 2026, and I never thought Real Madrid could pull off such a ridiculous prank. Despite just changing coaches, Real Madrid is one of the best clubs in the world, and how could they lose in the final minutes? This was a terrible start for Álvaro Arbeloa, losing to a team that isn't even in La Liga. Coincidentally, they lost 3-2, the same scoreline they lost to Barcelona. 

Despite the rotation in the lineup, Real played this match well, and they scored two goals. And I think that against a team of this level, that should have been enough for a win, but as Real has already shown this season, their poor defense sometimes lets them down, and that’s exactly what happened yesterday. I expected Real to be able to beat a second-division team even taking into account that they would play with a non main squad. But once again, they ruined my bet this season.

[Princess Leah]

Albacete isn't just a lower division team, they're also one of the worst teams in the Segunda Division. It's still early 2026, and I never thought Real Madrid could pull off such a ridiculous prank. Despite just changing coaches, Real Madrid is one of the best clubs in the world, and how could they lose in the final minutes? This was a terrible start for Álvaro Arbeloa, losing to a team that isn't even in La Liga. Coincidentally, they lost 3-2, the same scoreline they lost to Barcelona. 

Despite the rotation in the lineup, Real played this match well, and they scored two goals. And I think that against a team of this level, that should have been enough for a win, but as Real has already shown this season, their poor defense sometimes lets them down, and that’s exactly what happened yesterday. I expected Real to be able to beat a second-division team even taking into account that they would play with a non main squad. But once again, they ruined my bet this season.

I don't want to be so emotional about that result but Madrid is a team i love so much, right from the days of Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcelo, the partnership of those two Madrid me love the club so much and I hope they recover from this, I was aware that after Alonso got sacked they might experience a little challenge but not losing to a lover division Spanish team.

 Real Madrid conceded three goals, which mean that their defense was poor and they need to work on it, cause it they could lose to second division team, then you could imagine the havoc that would be rained on them by a midtable team in the Laliga, Arbeloa has lots to do to put the players back in shape especially the defenders.

[changaa]

This is a simple game for Real Madrid tonight and if this coach was here before now I would have said that he won't start with his first eleven players because Albacete is far below La Liga division and so I don't expect them to be hard or tough for Real Madrid but the funny thing is that in football anything is possible. And since this is a new Coach I believe he would not want to mess things up for himself so I think he's going to use his full squad to secure the winning and I wish him goodluck.

This simple match as you call it only confirmed that the problem was not Alonso.

The match didn't go badly, but Real Madrid still lost and also missed the opportunity to prove what they've said so far.
What could the problem be now? Do they have to find the culprit?

[BRINIRHA]

I can hardly believe the current score. The Madrid I expected to win the match quite comfortably has ended up with an unexpected result. Even though the match isn't over yet, conceding two goals to Albacete is truly unexpected. Is this the effect of the change in coach? because this team seems to be starting over from their worst performance with their new coach. And to be honest, I never had high hopes for Alvaro Arbeloa from the start. I don't understand why Xabi Alonso had to be replaced by a coach whose achievements aren't any better than Xabi Alonso's. even though we know Arbeloa was previously the coach of Real Madrid Castilla, I still think Real Madrid needs someone with more experience.

Actually Madrid lost this game by 3 goals, Madrid scored only two goals. Expectations where really high for Madrid and it began to feel like they were going to win without a struggle, but it is was sad and disappointing that they could not comfortably get a victory against a team supposed to be more weak then them.

The difference in quality between Real Madrid and Albacete is actually quite significant. So it was very disappointing to see Real Madrid lose the match. And it was sad to see Real Madrid only trying to equalize the score in this match and ultimately failing.  Real Madrid actually played well. However, they seemed unable to build attacks as effectively as possible. They should have been able to score more goals if they had utilized their opportunities better. But, well, Real Madrid truly failed in this match.

I hope that in future matches, Real Madrid will no longer suffer defeats. Especially since we know that Real Madrid also has matches in the UCL.

[ibuddy122505]

Albacete isn't just a lower division team, they're also one of the worst teams in the Segunda Division. It's still early 2026, and I never thought Real Madrid could pull off such a ridiculous prank. Despite just changing coaches, Real Madrid is one of the best clubs in the world, and how could they lose in the final minutes? This was a terrible start for Álvaro Arbeloa, losing to a team that isn't even in La Liga. Coincidentally, they lost 3-2, the same scoreline they lost to Barcelona. 

Despite the rotation in the lineup, Real played this match well, and they scored two goals. And I think that against a team of this level, that should have been enough for a win, but as Real has already shown this season, their poor defense sometimes lets them down, and that’s exactly what happened yesterday. I expected Real to be able to beat a second-division team even taking into account that they would play with a non main squad. But once again, they ruined my bet this season.

Real Madrid didn't take the game seriously enough, and Albacete shocked everyone with a historic Copa del Rey win. With key players rested, Madrid went down 3–2, and the fans were left stunned. A painful result you and others, no doubt.
It feels like the club needs a coach with a clear philosophy and a strong playing identity, someone who can command respect in the dressing room. Xabi Alonso seems like a perfect fit for that role. It hurts that things didn't go the way I hoped. At a club like Real Madrid, authority and trust in the coach have to come first.

[liasbaa]

Albacete isn't just a lower division team, they're also one of the worst teams in the Segunda Division. It's still early 2026, and I never thought Real Madrid could pull off such a ridiculous prank. Despite just changing coaches, Real Madrid is one of the best clubs in the world, and how could they lose in the final minutes? This was a terrible start for Álvaro Arbeloa, losing to a team that isn't even in La Liga. Coincidentally, they lost 3-2, the same scoreline they lost to Barcelona. 

Despite the rotation in the lineup, Real played this match well, and they scored two goals. And I think that against a team of this level, that should have been enough for a win, but as Real has already shown this season, their poor defense sometimes lets them down, and that’s exactly what happened yesterday. I expected Real to be able to beat a second-division team even taking into account that they would play with a non main squad. But once again, they ruined my bet this season.

Real Madrid didn't take the game seriously enough, and Albacete shocked everyone with a historic Copa del Rey win. With key players rested, Madrid went down 3–2, and the fans were left stunned. A painful result you and others, no doubt.
It feels like the club needs a coach with a clear philosophy and a strong playing identity, someone who can command respect in the dressing room. Xabi Alonso seems like a perfect fit for that role. It hurts that things didn't go the way I hoped. At a club like Real Madrid, authority and trust in the coach have to come first.

New manager Álvaro Arbeloa rested some key players in his first match as an experiment. Perhaps he thought he could win the match with a weak Albacete opponent with second string players. His strategy did not work on the first day. Many may think that Xabi was better. In fact, there may be some internal problems at Real Madrid that are affecting the players. Surprisingly Real Madrid had possession of the ball for almost three quarters of the match but did not win. This surprised almost all the fans. Like last season Real Madrid may have to go without a trophy this season because their future prospects are very unstable.

[Cossyblack]

Albacete isn't just a lower division team, they're also one of the worst teams in the Segunda Division. It's still early 2026, and I never thought Real Madrid could pull off such a ridiculous prank. Despite just changing coaches, Real Madrid is one of the best clubs in the world, and how could they lose in the final minutes? This was a terrible start for Álvaro Arbeloa, losing to a team that isn't even in La Liga. Coincidentally, they lost 3-2, the same scoreline they lost to Barcelona. 

This is the most ridiculous defeat in the history of Real Madrid. I haven't been this disappointed in real Madrid like yesterday defeat against Albacete. I bet confidently that real Madrid won't lose to a second division team because I believe real Madrid bad form haven't reached that level. Albacete is 1 points away to the relegation zone in the LaLiga 2  and real Madrid losing 3-2 to a team like that was embarrassing. No matter what,Real shouldn't have lost to Albacete I believe Xabi Alonso wouldn't lost if he were still at real Madrid as coach.

[Ahli38]

I can hardly believe the current score. The Madrid I expected to win the match quite comfortably has ended up with an unexpected result. Even though the match isn't over yet, conceding two goals to Albacete is truly unexpected. Is this the effect of the change in coach? because this team seems to be starting over from their worst performance with their new coach. And to be honest, I never had high hopes for Alvaro Arbeloa from the start. I don't understand why Xabi Alonso had to be replaced by a coach whose achievements aren't any better than Xabi Alonso's. even though we know Arbeloa was previously the coach of Real Madrid Castilla, I still think Real Madrid needs someone with more experience.

Actually Madrid lost this game by 3 goals, Madrid scored only two goals. Expectations where really high for Madrid and it began to feel like they were going to win without a struggle, but it is was sad and disappointing that they could not comfortably get a victory against a team supposed to be more weak then them.

The difference in quality between Real Madrid and Albacete is actually quite significant. So it was very disappointing to see Real Madrid lose the match. And it was sad to see Real Madrid only trying to equalize the score in this match and ultimately failing.  Real Madrid actually played well. However, they seemed unable to build attacks as effectively as possible. They should have been able to score more goals if they had utilized their opportunities better. But, well, Real Madrid truly failed in this match.

I hope that in future matches, Real Madrid will no longer suffer defeats. Especially since we know that Real Madrid also has matches in the UCL.

I personally predicted that this would happen by having previously said that Real Madrid was experiencing a loss of confidence. I also predicted that Real Madrid would perform poorly after their defeat against Barcelona. And as it turned out this prediction proved to be true and even it was very disappointing for many spectators or even for their fans. Other than that Real Madrid also needs good harmony in their play to be able to execute great tactics in every game. And they need the energy of their new coach to make everything go according to plan. I personally also hope that they will immediately improve their playing style or even their performance in the next few matches. And hopefully they will not slump again when facing teams that are below their level.

[lizarder]

It seems the problem isn't Xabi Alonso, but the players themselves. How can Real Madrid lose to Albacete? It's incredibly embarrassing. After this match, the management must have realized that some players need to be let go. I think this defeat was a good thing for Real Madrid because it clearly shows that the problem lies with the players.

I agree with this because after seeing defeats against lower-division teams, we see that it's not the coach who should be blamed, but rather the players who aren't performing at their best, even though this is also affected by poor rotation. I'm not highlighting the players who need to be released, but rather how these players can mature and support each other.

Furthermore, the midfield and defense also need to be evaluated, as these positions are currently considered quite problematic due to several players possibly still suffering from injuries. Competition in La Liga will be much more difficult if Real Madrid doesn't make changes, as Barcelona is currently much more developed. So there's no excuse for not management to make some real changes in the next match.

[Minor Miner]

Xabi was actually the best choice for Real this season and no matter who comes after him , he won't be able to make Real champions or even win a trophy this season because this teams plays for their ego and not for trophies , fans and performance. I'm also willing to believe that this current squad of Real won't win anything for the next 2-3 or even 4 years.

Madrid won't be able to win the title this season. It is doubtful whether they can even do better next season. Alonso was an excellent coach. But in Madrid he does not get the respect he deserves.

Madrid have prioritized the players more than their manager. These players will become more reckless in the future. Madrid will need a manager capable of controlling the players. But players like Mbappe and Vinicius are difficult to control. As we have seen in the past, Mbappe does not respect coaches. While at PSG, he didn't care about any of Pochettino's instructions.

[sokani]

I have no words for this lose, let the despair begin for Real Madrid, is this how they want to compete in the Champions League talk less of the Laliga tittle ? It's done Barcelona are winning the Laliga title back to back this season.

This lose to Albacete is just disgraceful, I know the usually underdogs and giant killing teams but losing to a team currently struggling with relegation in the Laliga 2 is just pitiful, hope this is just first match gitters because Arbeloa reign will be a quick one.

The same week Perez decided to part ways with Xabi Alonso, Real Madrid suffered a shocking defeat to a division two side. Who could have thought that this would happen? Losing to Albacete is unbelievable. It goes to show that Alonso was not the problem, but he was made the fall guy for the poor performances. Real Madrid needs to look beyond the surface. There's something wrong with the team, and they need to address it ASAP.

[wakier]

Last season, Real Madrid struggled with injuries to key players, and this season, Madrid is again facing problems with the departure of their coach. Two consecutive seasons of decline have been a boon for Barcelona, ​​allowing them to win the title this season. Yesterday's match was truly embarrassing against a lower division team, yet Madrid lost. With this incident, I'm confident the board of directors will begin looking for a suitable new coach as soon as possible.

[Volgastallion]

What a great start for Arbeloa as a coach of the Real Madrid...... says nobody... what a complete disaster for Real MAdrid it was this week, losing the supercup in hands of his biggest rival Barcelona, losing their manager/coach Xabi Alonso and now out of the Copa del Rey tournament losing against a team from lower division, what a tragedy.

[Rgram]

I've been saying this for months, they blamed Alonso for his strange handling, they created friction but in the end it's not Xabi's incompetence.
It's been like that now with the facts they have to prove that Real Madrid can do better without their old manager, honestly what do I think? Who have made a great hole in the water, taking nothing away from those who are working today to make it grow for the better.

If Xabi Alonso, a true Real Madrid legend, couldn’t control the dressing room, then I don’t understand what Arbeloa is coming to do at this stage. Xabi Alonso is someone who knows Real Madrid inside out.. He played for Real Madrid, won many trophies, and understands the pressure that comes with wearing the badge. If he couldn’t fully get the players to buy into his ideas, that already says a lot about the problems in that dressing room.

Now Xabi Alonso is gone, and the club has turned to Arbeloa, another former player but with far less experience at the highest level. He knows the club, and he has worked with the youth teams, but managing Real Madrid’s first team is a different challenge altogether.
Honestly, I'm having a bad feeling about this season for Real Madrid. Things look rushed, unstable, and poorly planned and if nothing serious is done quickly in terms of leadership, discipline, and clear direction, this could easily turn into a very disastrous season  for Real Madrid.

[$weetne$$]

Albacete isn't just a lower division team, they're also one of the worst teams in the Segunda Division. It's still early 2026, and I never thought Real Madrid could pull off such a ridiculous prank. Despite just changing coaches, Real Madrid is one of the best clubs in the world, and how could they lose in the final minutes? This was a terrible start for Álvaro Arbeloa, losing to a team that isn't even in La Liga. Coincidentally, they lost 3-2, the same scoreline they lost to Barcelona. 

Till this moment, it still does surprise a whole lot of persons how Madrid lost to this team. Will it even be okay to blame this on the change of coach? Because at s time it seems like a structural problem and Madrid probably had a bad day with that fixture too, it was a lucky day for Albacete and so let us count it as one for them and allow them enjoy thr victory they got.

[MiF]

Albacete isn't just a lower division team, they're also one of the worst teams in the Segunda Division. It's still early 2026, and I never thought Real Madrid could pull off such a ridiculous prank. Despite just changing coaches, Real Madrid is one of the best clubs in the world, and how could they lose in the final minutes? This was a terrible start for Álvaro Arbeloa, losing to a team that isn't even in La Liga. Coincidentally, they lost 3-2, the same scoreline they lost to Barcelona. 

Till this moment, it still does surprise a whole lot of persons how Madrid lost to this team. Will it even be okay to blame this on the change of coach? Because at s time it seems like a structural problem and Madrid probably had a bad day with that fixture too, it was a lucky day for Albacete and so let us count it as one for them and allow them enjoy thr victory they got.

The outcome was very much unexpected, yet I am not convinced that only the replacement of the coach can explain it. Arbeloa had some grounds to be given a chance but the problems appeared to be more structural in nature, inexperienced concentration, making defensive mistakes and possibly overrated a weaker team. Such a game should never be lost by Real Madrid, under all circumstances. Nevertheless, football is rough and inexplicable. Albacete made their chances count and battled to the last, thus it has to be acknowledged that they captured a very rare and memorable victory.