MADRID, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Real Madrid and head coach Alvaro Arbeloa face a pivotal night on Friday when they travel to face Celta Vigo, needing a win to keep their title hopes alive and to avoid a wave of criticism just days before the club's biggest match of the season.
Monday's 1-0 defeat at home to Getafe CF left Madrid four points behind FC Barcelona in the title race in La Liga, making victory in Vigo essential. Failure to take three points could allow Barcelona, which faces Athletic Club, to extend its lead to six or seven points.
The defeat also dealt a blow to Arbeloa's hopes of holding on to the Madrid job in the long term after another ill-disciplined display. Franco Mastantuono was sent off and handed a two-game ban for insulting the referee, while defender Antonio Rudiger was fortunate to remain on the pitch after appearing to drive his knee into the head of Getafe's Diego Rico.
Madrid also paid a heavy injury price. Rodrygo tore knee ligaments, ruling him out for the rest of the season, the World Cup finals and the start of next campaign.
Kylian Mbappe will also miss Friday's game with a knee sprain amid persistent speculation the problem may be more serious than the club has admitted, raising fears he could face a race to recover in time for the summer.
Jude Bellingham, Raul Asencio, Dani Ceballos and Eder Militao remain sidelined, while Eduardo Camavinga is also a doubt after a mouth infection ruled him out on Monday.
With so many absences, Arbeloa has few options to rotate his squad ahead of Wednesday's clash with Manchester City in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League last-16 tie.
City won 2-1 in Madrid when the sides met earlier this season in the competition's league phase, and although Pep Guardiola's side has shown occasional vulnerabilities, its attacking strength still makes it one of the most dangerous opponents in Europe. ■
