Xabi Alonso Says Real Madrid's Preparations Were Less Than Ideal

Muhe - Tuesday, 19 August 2025 | 04:00 PM (WIB)

Xabi Alonso Says Real Madrid's Preparations Were Less Than Ideal

Spanish La Liga giants Real Madrid will kick off the season by hosting Osasuna on Wednesday, August 20, 2025. Madrid will certainly be aiming for a win in their first match of the new season.
However, many believe Real Madrid's preparations have been suboptimal. This is because Real Madrid was the last team to play preseason compared to other teams.
This is due to Real Madrid's recent participation in the 2025 Club World Cup. On average, other teams begin their preseason tours or matches in early July, while Real Madrid was still playing in the competition before losing in the semifinals to Paris Saint-Germain.
Therefore, Real Madrid gave its players more time off. Finally, in early August, Real Madrid played their only preseason match, a trip to Austria against WSG Tirol last week.
Real Madrid only has 15 days before their opening match against Osasuna. Los Blancos had actually requested a postponement, but La Liga rejected the request, believing Real Madrid had already had sufficient rest.
These conditions are certainly not ideal for Real Madrid. In fact, several of their players are not in good shape and will be sidelined and absent from the first week of La Liga.
However, Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso refused to use the less-than-ideal conditions as an excuse. Alonso stated that Madrid are the favorites to win the title and must perform at their best.
"Of course, we would have liked to have had more time to prepare after a long season, for the players' physical health. But in the end, that wasn't the case. We have to accept it," Alonso said.
"It's true we only had two weeks to prepare. But we don't want to make excuses. The team is ready to play tomorrow," he said.

Head to Head

15 Februari 2025 Osasuna 1-1 Real Madrid
9 November 2024 Real Madrid 4-0 Osasuna
16 Maret 2024 Osasuna 2-4 Real Madrid
7 Oktober 2023 Real Madrid 4-0 Osasuna
7 Mei 2023 Real Madrid 2-1 Osasuna
19 Februari 2023 Osasuna 0-2 Real Madrid

Predicted line-ups

Real Madrid: Courtois; Alexander-Arnold, Militao, Huijsen, Carreras; Guler, Tchouameni, Valverde; Brahim, Mbappe, Vinicius
Osasuna: Herrera; Rosier, Catena, Boyomo, Bretones; Torro, Moncayola, Oroz; K Barja, Budimir, M Gomez.