Carlo Ancelotti vowed Real Madrid will not give up on chasing down Barcelona at the top of LaLiga, despite his side falling nine points adrift of the leaders on Sunday.
Madrid were held to a goalless draw by Real Betis on a potentially pivotal day in the title race, a few hours after 10-man Barcelona had battled to a 1-0 home win against Valencia.
Los Blancos still have to travel to Barca in a fortnight, but Opta's league predictor now gives the reigning champions just a 9.8 per cent chance of finishing top of the table.
After seeing his side held for a second league game running, having drawn 1-1 against Atletico Madrid last week, Ancelotti accepted Madrid have their work cut out.
"It's not impossible," he told Movistar when asked if there is any hope of catching Barca. "It will be very difficult, very complicated, but we have no doubt we'll fight until the end.
"Of course these results are affecting the team. If it doesn't then you have no room to improve."
Madrid are without a win in three games after going down 1-0 to Barcelona in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final on Thursday.
The European champions have failed to score in their past two games, which is as many as in their previous 39 matches.
After being unable to register a shot on target against Barca and in the first half against Betis, Madrid did at least improve in the second half as Claudio Bravo made five saves.
"It was a difficult match for us," Ancelotti added. "We know we could have done better in terms of efficiency in attack. We had opportunities but lacked efficiency.
"This is the reality. We've scored only one goal in our past three games, and it's clear to see what we're missing from set-pieces. We have the quality to be doing better.
"We know we have to improve in that regard. We know in moments like this we have to do better."
Karim Benzema thought he had given Madrid the lead in the 15th minute, only for his free-kick to be ruled out after a VAR check showed the ball hit Antonio Rudiger on the arm.
Madrid have now played out six goalless draws with Betis in the league this century – against no side have they done so more often – with this latest stalemate particularly costly.
Dani Ceballos, who wasted one of a few good chances that fell the visitors' way in the second half, echoed Ancelotti's sentiment that his side must keep on fighting.
"There are still games left and we are not that far away [from Barcelona]," he said. "The DNA of this club is to fight until the end. Where there is an opportunity, Madrid will fight.
"We have a very important game against Espanyol next Saturday in front of our fans. We also have Barcelona to play, so we have to do our best before the international break."
Betis fell short of registering a fourth straight league win for the first time since December 2021, but head coach Manuel Pellegrini was happy to come away with a point against his former club.
"Winning games is important, but if you can't do that then it's better to not lose," said Pellegrini, whose side are three points adrift of fourth-placed Real Sociedad.
"I think it was a fair point for both teams. There are many teams in the fight for the top four and others will also start to challenge."
Courtois to make first start this season as Madrid close in on title
Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois will make his first start of the season against Cadiz on Saturday after making a full recovery from two knee injuries, Carlo Ancelotti has revealed.
Ancelotti, however, will remain cautious with Courtois, who has not played since suffering torn ligaments 13 months ago, with Andriy Lunin set to return for Wednesday's Champions League semi-final second leg against Bayern Munich.
"The decisive game we have in mind, a final, is Wednesday's match against Bayern, where Lunin will play. After that, we'll see what happens," Ancelotti said on Friday.
"Courtois is fine, he will play tomorrow after a long, long time. It's good news that he's coming back, just like [Eder] Militao.
"Courtois can contribute, he's feeling good, he's very excited. We are delighted to have him back."
Lunin has established himself as Ancelotti's preferred deputy in Courtois' absence, seeing off competition from Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Lunin was Madrid's hero as they beat Manchester City in the Champions League quarter-finals, making two saves in their 4-3 penalty shoot-out victory after an inspired performance in a 1-1 second-leg draw.
Courtois, however, is widely considered to be one of the world's best goalkeepers and the Belgian is likely to regain his starting spot soon, with a LaLiga and Champions League double in Madrid's sights.
He was named man-of-the-match in the 2022 Champions League final after making nine saves to deny Liverpool as Madrid clinched a record-extending 14th European title with a 1-0 win in Paris.
Brazil centre-back Militao returned in late March after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in August, making his first start in last week's win at Real Sociedad in LaLiga.
"We were too passive against Bayern. We have to be more active. So Militao will play tomorrow to get into a rhythm," Ancelotti said.
"We are only thinking about the 'final' on Wednesday. We don't think about what might happen in a month's time. Hopefully, soon we can start looking further ahead, it will mean we'll make the final in London."
With five games left, Ancelotti's side top the LaLiga standings on 84 points, 11 ahead of Barca and 13 clear of third-placed Girona. They can clinch a record-extending 36th Spanish title if they beat Cadiz and Barcelona fail to win at Girona later on Saturday.
Pochettino laments 'stupid rumours' over future as Chelsea speculation persists
Mauricio Pochettino blasted "stupid rumours" as speculation continues over his future at Chelsea.
Pochettino oversaw a 2-0 win over former employers Tottenham on Thursday, becoming the first manager to complete a Premier League double after previously managing them in the competition.
Yet a longer-term view on the plans under Pochettino remain unclear, with reports linking Julian Nagelsmann, Hansi Flick and Roberto De Zerbi to Stamford Bridge should the Chelsea manager be moved on.
That comes after another heavy-spending season under the Todd Boehly-led ownership at Chelsea, who splashed once more on the likes of Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia and Christopher Nkunku.
Cole Palmer, Axel Disasi and Nicolas Jackson were among the other arrivals amid another chaotic transfer window in west London, with Pochettino battling injury issues and managing a large squad.
Whether Chelsea pull the trigger for another manager may depend on how the Blues finish the season, with Pochettino's side eighth but just three points behind sixth-placed Manchester United.
A place in Europe could be the decisive factor, though Pochettino vented his frustration at the situation in an honest assessment of the media reports questioning his job safety.
"I wanted to say that it is enough with this type of rumours, that if I have one year more [under] contract here and no one says nothing [to me], [I] suppose I'm going to be here," Pochettino said.
"Only if then, the season finishes and someone says to me 'ciao'... Because we don't know at the moment.
"I suppose that I have one more year contract and that I am going to be here. Enough about the stupid rumours.
"You need to ask the club if they want me to keep going or not, not to write things that have no sense."
Pochettino has not been distracted by those rumours, though, with Chelsea winning eight of their last 10 home Premier League games (D1 L1), after managing just one win from the 14 before that (D7 L6).
The Blues will hope to continue that imperious run of form when they host London rivals West Ham on Sunday at Stamford Bridge.
Girona to give '200 per cent' against Barcelona in possible Champions League clincher
Barcelona will be favourites when they visit Girona on Saturday, but Michel says the hosts will give everything in a game which could see them confirm Champions League qualification.
Girona, third in LaLiga with 71 points, are two behind fellow Catalan side Barcelona, who they beat 4-2 in December's return fixture.
"For our fans, tomorrow is a historic match," Michel told reporters on Friday.
"In this match the motivation is top for everyone. Another challenge is to beat Barca for the first time at Montilivi.
"Barca are favourites in this match, but we are playing at home in front of our fans. We will give 200 per cent because it's the only way to win."
Girona, 13 points ahead of fifth-placed Athletic Bilbao, are looking to ensure a top-four finish and secure qualification for the Champions League this weekend.
Athletic go to Getafe on Friday, so a defeat for Ernesto Valverde's team will confirm Girona's place in the top four before they take to the field.
"We want to win tomorrow to reach the Champions League. It's about making Girona grow and achieving worldwide recognition for our club and our project," Michel said.
"We always have more objectives like overtaking Real Madrid as the top-scoring team. We only have two goals between us.
"What I want is to be protagonists in a league where Madrid have lost only one game."
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