Álvaro Arbeloa got off to a dismal start as the new coach of Real Madrid, seeing his team lose to second-division club Albacete 3-2 and drop out of the Copa del Rey in the round of 16 on Wednesday.

Real Madrid are knocked out of the Copa del Rey by second division Albacete in Alvaro Arbeloa's first game in charge.

Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe is reportedly insisting that he does not want to return to action until fully fit following a knee injury, meaning the France international could be absent for Los Blancos' match at home to Levante in La Liga this Sunday.

New Real Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa said he understood the hurt and disappointment felt by fans after a turbulent week but urged them to rally behind the team ahead of Saturday's LaLiga home match against relegation-threatened Levante.

Real Madrid are gearing up for their second game of the week. Pau Quesada’s side, who faced Athletic Club on Tuesday at the Alfredo Di Stéfano, now head to the Ciudad Deportiva de Buñol to take on Levante in their Liga F Matchday 16 fixture (Saturday, 12:00 pm CET).

The 25-year-old, who has been repeatedly targeted for racial abuse in Spain for several years, was also abused before the match.

The NBA says it is discussing its "vision" for a proposed European basketball league with Berlin, Real Madrid and other Spanish clubs.

Barcelona came out on top in the Supercopa de España final on Sunday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, outdoing fierce rivals Real Madrid in a dramatic match that ended 3-2 thanks to two goals from Raphinha. Hansi Flick's side started strong but were mostly limited by a Real Madrid defense that was organized until the final stretch of the first half,