Three talking points ahead of Sevilla vs Real Madrid | La Liga MD 37 | OneFootball

Real Madrid bounced back with a 2-0 win over Real Oviedo midweek and did so with a relatively convincing performance – something they have not delivered in a long time.

The win came a bit too late in the context that the La Liga title was already decided by then, but Real Madrid will take the positive result regardless and look to keep that momentum going until the end of the season.

Tomorrow evening, Los Blancos play their penultimate game of the season as they lock horns with Sevilla away from home. Los Nervionenses are currently 11th on the points table and have 12 wins in 36 games.

Their recent form, however, has been impressive as they are on a run of three straight wins and Real Madrid will have to be at their very best once again if they are to dent the hosts’ momentum.

Madrid Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Sevilla vs Real Madrid.

The Arbeloa-Mbappe rift

There is only one place to start the preview of Real Madrid’s next game, and it is at the cliffhanger where the previous one ended.

At a time when news from Real Madrid’s camp is growing increasingly bizarre by the day, the post-match reaction after the game against Real Oviedo came as a shock to many for it was not anything one could imagine.

Kylian Mbappe gave an interview in the mixed zone where he pointed fingers at Alvaro Arbeloa, claiming the manager placed him fourth on the pecking order.

The Real Madrid forward claimed that the club lost its structure and foundation in the second half of the season and even openly stated that he does not even listen to the manager’s press conferences.

Arbeloa maintained in his press conference that followed that he had simply started Mbappe on the bench because he was unfit to start El Clasico just days ago, and pushing him directly into a starting berth was unwarranted.

The fire between the two parties continues to burn and it is clear that the manager and the player do not see eye to eye anymore.

The big question, however, is whether Arbeloa will stamp his authority one more time before leaving by keeping Mbappe on the bench, or whether he will let bygones be bygones start the player.

Playing for two managers

Jose Mourinho is coming. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

Tomorrow, it will be Arbeloa’s team that steps out on the field to take on Sevilla, and the men in white will be listening to the commands of the manager on the sidelines.

He will, however, not be the manager they will largely play to impress, for it is clear at this point that Jose Mourinho will return to take over the reins at the club in the summer.

It will, thus, be a queer situation where Los Blancos play for two managers – one who will be on the sidelines and one who is set to arrive shortly.

Real Madrid are heading for a generational change in the summer, as the board has had enough of the dressing room’s attitude, internal rifts, and politics.

It will, thus, likely be a ruthless summer and no single player can consider themselves safe at this point – not even the superstars in the team.

The objective for every individual tomorrow, thus, will be to impress the incoming manager and stake a claim to a place in his project. After all, a big part of the decisions taken by him in the summer may well be linked to their performances in the next two games.

Will Carvajal get his flowers?

The clash against Sevilla tomorrow will be Real Madrid’s second-to-last game of the 2025-26 campaign and their last game away from home this season.

As the official end of the season nears, it also signals the end of the road for some players as it does every season. This time, however, it appears to be a legend who is on the same crossroads – Dani Carvajal.

The Spaniard has not had it easy since his knee injury which kept him out for a season, and while he was largely fit in the second half of the campaign, Arbeloa never showed any fondness for his services.

So far this season, the 34-year-old has made just eight league starts and 15 appearances and has played just over 50 minutes even in his last four games for the club.

While not officially confirmed, it now appears understood that Carvajal will be leaving in the summer after the club decided against renewing his deal. It will thus be interesting to see if he merits a start in the next two games.

Arbeloa may have his differences with the veteran, but it is undeniable that Carvajal is a legend of the club and the game. With no real objectives left in the campaign, there appears to be no real reason for him not to get his flowers with a start tomorrow.