Alvaro Arbeloa has urged his Real Madrid squad to “shine and be their best versions” no matter who they are facing or which competition they are playing in.
Madrid have lost pace in LaLiga, trailing leaders Barcelona by seven points ahead of their Friday evening clash with Girona at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Los Blancos come into this game on the back of two consecutive defeats, including a 2-1 loss in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Bayern Munich.
But Arbeloa believes that his players will be up to the task no matter the opposition they face and called on his squad to focus only on the match ahead of them.
“Tomorrow I want to go out and win,” the Madrid boss told reporters. “I believe the most important match I have as a coach is tomorrow’s and I will field a team that lives up to it.
“It’s clear that you can’t play a Champions League quarter-final or matches with huge motivation every single day.
“That’s when self-demand comes in and the desire to be your best version every day. When someone wants to be their best version every day, it goes beyond their talent. It’s about attitude, commitment, effort, and determination.
“That’s what we need from Real Madrid players, that tomorrow against Girona they feel they have to shine, that they need to play a great match, regardless of whether it’s one of the 38 LaLiga matches they play or if it’s a quarter-final.”
When asked about whether his players are lacking motivation, Arbeloa was candid in his response, suggesting that the squad’s motivation is even higher following their two recent defeats.
“I believe they are the first ones who want to play tomorrow, even more than I do!” he added.
“They’re very eager because any Real Madrid player, when they have a match where they don’t manage to win, despite performing well and having many chances, they wish they could play the very next day.
“I’ve spoken to them, and they’re all ready and excited for the match to come so they can deliver a great performance.”
¡Estamos listos para el partido de mañana! pic.twitter.com/zNL98XJvI2
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) April 9, 2026
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Real Madrid – Jude Bellingham
Jude Bellingham has scored four goals against Girona, netting in each of his four appearances against them in LaLiga.
The Englishman has not scored more goals against any other opponent in his career in the competition or in the Bundesliga, though he has also managed four against Barcelona.
Girona – Cristhian Stuani
Cristhian Stuani has scored seven goals in 16 LaLiga matches against Real Madrid. Only against Getafe (nine) has the Girona striker scored more goals in the competition, while also managing seven against Espanyol.
MATCH PREDICTION: REAL MADRID WIN
Despite suffering back-to-back defeats, Real Madrid remain favourites to take all three points, though they have lost 27.3% of their LaLiga meetings with Girona FC (W6 D2 L3). Only against FC Barcelona (42% – P50 W18 D11 L21) do they have a higher defeat rate this century.
Madrid have, however, scored in all 11 of their LaLiga matches against Girona, managing 28 goals. Only against Arenas Club de Getxo (14) and Burgos CF (12) have they played more games and maintained a 100% scoring rate.
However, Arbeloa’s side have plenty of defensive concerns, having conceded in each of their last seven LaLiga games (10 goals) – their longest such run since an eight-match streak under Zinedine Zidane in September 2019 (14 goals conceded).
Girona, meanwhile, are aiming to take points in both league meetings with Madrid for just the second time (previously in 2022-23 – W1 D1), having drawn 1-1 at Montilivi in November 2025.
Michel’s side have encouragingly earned points in six of their last eight away games in LaLiga (W3 D3 L2), after having lost in five of their previous eight (D3 L5).
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Real Madrid – 68.5%
Draw – 17.3%
Girona – 14.2%
