Total shipwreck for Real Madrid against Celta: Militao KO, two sent off, and City is coming!

Real Madrid lost much more than three points this Sunday against Celta de Vigo (0-2). In addition to falling further behind FC Barcelona in the fight for the LaLiga lead, Xabi Alonso's team lost another key piece in defense to injury, in addition to putting in a very poor performance in their return home.

The 'merengues', although they took 8 shots on target (20 in total), lacked coordinated play and depth to overcome a Galician team well-positioned in a low block that found it easy to hurt them on the counter.

With a patched-up defense, including Raúl Asencio and Fran García as full-backs, Madrid never looked secure at the back. In the second half, **Williot Swedberg, with a brace**, exposed the fragility of the white defense.First, in the 54th minute, he scored with a backheel from a cross from the flank by Bryan Zaragoza. In stoppage time, he scored into an empty net after a lethal counter-attack masterfully finished by Iago Aspas. The Whites ended the match with nine men and, to top it off, lost their best center-back in the first half to injury.

Militao tore again and leaves Real Madrid's defense in tatters

In the 20th minute, **Éder Militao** **appeared to tear a muscle** as he ran towards his area to prevent a one-on-one between Pablo Durán and Courtois. The Brazilian, whose injury ordeal seems endless since his first cruciate ligament tear in August 2023, did his job: preventing the opposing striker from shooting, but immediately clutched his left thigh.

The center-back left the field unable to put weight on his foot, and everything points to him spending several weeks on the sidelines again. Antonio Rüdiger came on in his place, but the German is still far from his best form, after being out for three months with a left rectus femoris injury.

Another player who remains sidelined is **Dean Huijsen**, absent from the last four matches due to muscular discomfort that also prevented him from playing with Spain during the last FIFA break. His return this week is still uncertain, meaning Asencio and Rüdiger will have to play, no matter what, in the center on Wednesday against Manchester City

Absurd Expulsions of Fran García and Álvaro Carreras

Fran García was sent off against Celta

In addition to Militao's absence, Xabi Alonso also lost Fran García and Álvaro Carreras for the next league match. The former was sent off in the 64th minute after committing two consecutive fouls within a 59-second span.

The referee Alejandro Quintero González did not hesitate to send him to the locker room for a double yellow card, and although Madrid did not suffer too much in defense after his expulsion, they never managed to recover psychologically from the blow of being at a numerical disadvantage and down on the scoreboard in a span of just 10 minutes.

To top it all off, Carreras was also sent off in stoppage time for angrily protesting a yellow card after a clear foul on a Celta player. Madrid received 5 yellow cards and 2 red cards on the day, ending a streak of 57 home league games without expulsions in LaLiga. Without a doubt, the good work of the Andalusian referee will be the talk of 'RMTV' in their upcoming reports.

Mbappé, missing on his return to the Bernabéu

Beyond the expulsions of Fran García and Álvaro Carreras, the worst mark for Real Madrid 0-2 Celta, without a doubt, goes to Kylian Mbappé. The LaLiga top scorer was coming off a masterclass against Athletic (0-3), but on Sunday he wandered around the Bernabéu pitch for almost 90 minutes.

'Kiki' barely won a duel in six attempts and only managed one shot on target, in the 74th minute, throughout the entire match. Vinicius was much more active on the left in the first half, although he also disappeared in the second half, with Madrid already losing and with one player down.

Although his records are notable in 25/26 (25 goals in 20 games), there are several matches in which Mbappé has been exposed in the league. When his team lacks depth, the Frenchman still struggles to get out of the box and claim the ball to try and make a difference on his own.

City can sentence Xabi Alonso

Against Celta, the Bernabéu crowd ended up very angry, directing their whistles at both the team and the main referee, González. The worst news for Real Madrid is that, next Wednesday, they will host a Manchester City with renewed spirits and confidence after securing three consecutive victories in the Premier League.

Pep Guardiola's team, although still far from their best form (especially in defense), **are coming off a 3-0 thrashing of Sunderland and have scored 11 goals** in their last three appearances. Against a makeshift defense like Madrid's, Erling Haaland and company can do a lot of damage and, perhaps, deliver a definitive knockout blow to Xabi Alonso on the 'Merengue' bench.

The Tolosa native is starting to run out of credit after losing 9 of the last 15 league points. A hefty defeat against City might prevent the Basque coach from even making it to Christmas as a Real Madrid manager.