Madrid, Jan 16 (IANS) Alvaro Arbeloa, the interim coach of Spanish giants Real Madrid, wil be under immense pressure when his side hosts Levante in La Liga on Saturday afternoon.

Arbeloa only had one training session with his new players following his promotion to the Real Madrid B-team to replace Xabi Alonso in the first-team dugout, but that didn’t spare him from criticism after the 3-2 Copa del Rey debacle away to second division Albacete on Wednesday night.

Now the team returns to the Santiago Bernabeu for a must-win game at home to the side that is second from bottom of La Liga, and nothing other than a win will do, reports Xinhua.

Real Madrid go into the game four points behind FC Barcelona in the race for the title and have the chance to put some pressure on the league leader, who have a tough visit to play Real Sociedad on Sunday night.

“We are focused and with a lot of energy,” commented Arbeloa in his pre-game press conference. “This is a fundamental match for us as we have to keep in the race for La Liga and we are also playing in the Bernabeu, which motivates us a lot,” he continued.

The new coach confirmed that Kylian Mbappe was fit for Saturday’s match and also said he was confident that the ever-demanding supporters in the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium would get behind the team, despite recent disappointments.

“I respect the opinion of the fans, I understand they are hurt and disappointed with us, but I am asking for their support,” commented Arbeloa, who also defended his decision to leave key players out of the defeat in Albacete.

“The available players went to Albacete; those who stayed at home did so because there was a risk they could get injured. Everyone who was available came with us. I decided that I didn’t want to take risks, and I’d do that again,” he insisted.

–IANS

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