Alvaro Arbeloa insisted that Real Madrid will “keep fighting” in the LaLiga title race, despite falling four points behind Barcelona, as he faces mounting pressure in his first season as coach.

Los Blancos travel to Celta Vigo on Friday, aiming to close the gap to within a point ahead of Barcelona’s clash with Athletic Bilbao on Saturday.

Madrid lost top spot after a defeat at Osasuna two weeks ago, followed by a home humiliation against Getafe last weekend, intensifying scrutiny on Arbeloa, who replaced Xabi Alonso in January.

“We’re four points behind, not 18. This is Real Madrid. As long as we can mathematically fight, we will, and if there ever comes a time when we can no longer fight, we will still keep fighting,” Arbeloa said.

“In the dressing room, we’re aware that there’s still a lot of the season left. We’ve had two consecutive league defeats. Of course, at a club like Real Madrid, defeat is always difficult to handle because of the expectations and the pressure, but right now the only thing we’re thinking about is tomorrow’s match.”

Madrid have been hampered by a string of injuries. Brazilian winger Rodrygo joins Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham, and Eder Militao on the sidelines following a serious knee injury sustained against Getafe, which may rule him out of the World Cup this summer. Centre-back Dean Huijsen is suspended for the trip to Celta.

“When you’re winning, and everyone is playing well, it’s easy to wear this shirt,” Arbeloa said. “We need to show our true potential now. It’s in moments like these that you see if we’re worthy of wearing this shirt and this badge.”

Real Madrid host Manchester City in the Champions League last-16 first leg next Wednesday. Mbappe has travelled to Paris for treatment, while Bellingham is in London, with both hoping to recover in time. Arbeloa confirmed that all decisions regarding player fitness will be made by the club’s medical team.