Real Madrid succumbed to their first home defeat of the 2025-26 season as they had three players sent off in a 2-0 defeat to Celta Vigo at the Estadio Bernabéu in La Liga on Sunday night. Williot Swedberg scored both goals, one an impressive backheel and the other a late tap-in on the counter, either side of red cards for Fran García, Álvaro Carreras and unused substitute Endrick, who was dismissed from the bench for dissent.
1. Who would play at right-back?
With both Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dani Carvajal ruled out with injuries, there was anticipation that it may not be Fede Valverde who returned to his now familiar role as a makeshift defender. The Uruguayan didn’t hide his dislike for the position, and so it was perhaps unsurprising that Xavi Alonso yielded and instead opted for Raúl Asencio as a makeshift option, albeit with little success. His limited attacking potential, up against a deep Celta Vigo block, was damaging to Real Madrid’s build up and he completed only one pass into the final third in his 54 minutes on the field.
2. Would there be rotations ahead of Manchester City?
Perhaps to his detriment, Xabi Alonso has not been afraid to rotate this season. We’ve frequently seen high-profile players like Vinícius Júnior benched in the name of rotations to get players rest ahead of big fixtures. In theory, more of that would’ve been expected ahead of a complicated fixture against Manchester City on Wednesday night at the Bernabéu. However, there was no sign of rotation. Not even the likes of Dani Ceballos or Brahim Díaz were brought in. The only rotation came in defence, where Antonio Rüdiger was given a rest that turned out to be brief as Éder Militão was forced off on 24 minutes with a serious-looking injury. The result then meant that Alonso couldn’t give his players any rest time by withdrawing them early either.
3. How important would home comforts be?
Real Madrid returned to the Bernabéu for the first time since the 4-0 win over Valencia on November 1st, and the crisis that followed in those five weeks must have had Xabi Alonso longing for a routine home fixture in front of his own fans. Celta Vigo hadn’t won at the Bernabéu in La Liga since 2006, only taking a point once since then, in February 2020, and Real Madrid’s record of six wins from six and only three goals conceded in home league fixtures suggested this should be comfortable. Instead, the Bernabéu, even with its flashy new light show built into the scoreboard, hosted a humiliating defeat and the first loss at the stadium since the game against Valencia in April.
1. How bad is the injury to Éder Militão?
Reports emerging from Real Madrid initially fear the worst with the Brazilian defender’s hamstring injury. That could suggest a grade three tear, effectively a complete rupture. That would mean that even with top-level medical support, three to six months out and no sign of Militão returning to action until around mid-March to early April 2026 at the earliest, while a more conservative, but still normal, timeline would place a comeback between late April and June 2026, effectively just in time for the World Cup. That could all depend upon the severity of the injury, with tests likely to confirm that in the coming days. With Dani Carvajal, Trent Alexander-Arnold and David Alaba all already sidelined by injury, he joins a long defensive injury list with what would be his third long-term injury in as many seasons after suffering anterior cruciate ligament tears in his last two seasons. Long-term, there must now be concerns at Real Madrid about Militão’s reliability as an option, regardless of his undoubtedly high level of quality when he is available.
2. Was Williot Swedberg’s goal just bad luck for Real Madrid?
Before Swedberg tapped in his second goal, Celta Vigo held a 1-0 advantage despite the expected goals tally reflecting 2.29 for Real Madrid and 0.55 for Celta Vigo. The Swede’s first strike had been a magnificent effort, with a remarkable backheel and one of the most impressive goals from an opponent at the Bernabéu for some time. It was also his first goal since his last visit to the Bernabéu, where he also scored in a 3-2 defeat in May. Real Madrid can feel hard done by to have ended the game behind in such a manner, but they failed to break down a well-organised defensive unit and didn’t take their big chances when they had the chance. Even so, the late collapse, fuelled by poor discipline, a failure to react responsibly to frustration at the scoreline and the referee, and sloppy defending, meant that Real Madrid will struggle to blame anyone but themselves for arguably their worst result of the season.
3. How crucial is Wednesday night?
The boos and whistles that rang around the Bernabéu made it clear that patience is running out. All the good of the 3-0 win in Bilbao quickly vanished on Sunday night and it truly felt like going straight back to square one for Xabi Alonso and Real Madrid. Welcoming an old foe in Pep Guardiola on Wednesday could not come at a worse time. Manchester City have not looked at their best this season, but have won their last three in a row and Guardiola was able to rest some key players in Saturday’s 3-0 win over Sunderland. The ending here, with a late second goal and two late red cards, tees thing up disastrously. Real Madrid will need to start on the front foot to avoid the same nerves hitting, and that seems a big ask for a side who has struggled to dominate games convincingly this season.
