Three talking points ahead of Real Madrid vs Sevilla | La Liga MD17 | OneFootball

Real Madrid’s final game of 2025 is back at the Santiago Bernabeu, their glorious home where they haven’t won a game since the beginning of November.

Real Madrid’s long spell away from home brought in some of the team’s most unfavourable results – piling the pressure on Xabi Alonso and the dressing room.

They then returned to the Bernabeu for two games – against Manchester City and Celta Vigo – and somehow lost both games before heading away once more for two fixtures.

With two wins against Alaves and Talavera now in the bag, the men in white will look to give fans at home some joy with the team’s first win at the venue since they beat Valencia 4-0 early in November.

It will not be easy as Sevilla have been known to pop up a few surprises. They sit ninth on the table and have six wins in 16 games so far this season with 24 goals scored.

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

The year-end fixture

The year 2025 will not go down remotely close to the best years in Real Madrid history as neither the end of the 2024-25 season nor the beginning of the next one has been particularly memorable.

A crucial test awaits for Real Madrid. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)

Los Blancos lost out on La Liga, the UEFA Champions League and the Copa del Rey last season in addition to the Spanish Super Cup in January.

The FIFA Club World Cup only brought another failure to the team’s catalogue.

The new season got off to a solid start under the new manager, but a rocky spell in recent months has left a bitter aftertaste on that front too.

The only silver lining, however, is that the team have won their last two games across all competitions.

Tonight’s clash against Sevilla represents the team’s final game of 2025 as they will disperse for the winter break immediately after the game. The goal, needless to say, will be to end the year on a high.

A third straight win, thus, is all Xabi Alonso’s men will be hoping for come Saturday night as they look to bid adieu to a forgettable year and set the stage for 2026 to begin in grand fashion.

Captain remains a doubt

Xabi Alonso has been struggling with his squad’s injuries and resultant selection dilemmas for a long time now, but that situation has significantly improved in recent days as several sidelined stars have returned to the mix.

Federico Valverde is a doubt for this match. (Photo by Ion Alcoba Beitia/Getty Images)

One department where Los Blancos are still lacking a natural option, however, is at right-back where both Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dani Carvajal remain injured.

Federico Valverde, on that front, has largely served as Alonso’s backup in the department in extreme situations and has done well when asked to fill in the defensive role.

He has even started at right-back in the team’s recent games barring the clash against Talavera.

Now, however, Alonso finds himself in a fix as even Valverde is a doubt for the Sevilla game.

The Uruguayan international did not train with the group ahead of the clash and is said to be dealing with a knock he picked up.

In fact, he has been playing through pain for a long time now and Alonso would prefer not to risk him.

It thus remains to be seen what plan the manager has in place for the night.

Will he switch to a three-man defence or continue to count on young David Jimenez who made his debut in the cup?

Or maybe he has a third unexpected option to deploy on the night? Only time will tell.

Rodrygo’s case to start

Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr have been Real Madrid’s only two undisputable starters this season.

While the former earned it through his performances, the hope with the latter is that he can return to his normal goalscoring and threatening self in the final third.

Rodrygo has made a strong case for himself. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)

One player who has struggled since Alonso’s arrival, conversely, is Rodrygo Goes as the manager did not seem to count on him in any capacity for a long time.

After a long and patient wait, he got his chance to shine when he started against Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League and he finished as one of the team’s best players on the night.

He bagged the team’s only goal against Pep Guardiola’s side, was a constant menace down the right flank and earned praise from the opposition manager.

His positive show earned him a start in the team’s next game against Deportivo Alaves and he once again finished as one of the team’s MVPs as he scored the winner to help the team to a win.

A slight niggle forced his night short and was presumably the reason he did not start against Talavera. Come tonight, however, there is little to no doubt that Rodrygo should start for Real Madrid once more.

The Brazilian’s involvement on the field provides Los Blancos with not only attacking flair but better defensive stability, and Alonso should look to keep him as a regular in his plans if Rodrygo can keep the same form going.