The Spanish giants have stumbled since the international break, starting with a league defeat to Mallorca, followed by a home loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-final first leg.
A draw against Girona offered little relief, and the situation worsened with a 4-3 defeat in Munich that confirmed their European exit.
That result has left Madrid nine points behind Barcelona in the title race and under real pressure to respond. It is their worst run since 2018 under Julen Lopetegui, and expectations remain high for a reaction against an Alaves side sitting 17th in the table.
There are no major changes in terms of injuries, with Rodrygo Goes, Thibaut Courtois and Raul Asencio still unavailable. However, manager Alvaro Arbeloa is expected to rotate his squad after the draining trip to Germany.
In goal, Andriy Lunin is set to continue while Courtois recovers. At the back, Dani Carvajal is expected to start at right-back, giving Trent Alexander-Arnold a rest, while Antonio Rudiger could also be rotated out in favour of Dean Huijsen alongside Eder Militao.
Alvaro Carreras may come in on the left ahead of Ferland Mendy.
In midfield, Aurelien Tchouameni returns after suspension and is set to anchor the side again. Arda Guler, fresh from scoring twice against Bayern, is expected to partner him centrally.
Federico Valverde should shift back to his usual right-sided role, while Jude Bellingham operates from the left with licence to move inside.
Up front, Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior remain the undisputed attacking pairing. Mbappe will also have added motivation as he looks to stay ahead in the Pichichi race, with Vedat Muriqi just two goals behind him.
Madrid know anything less than a win would deepen the scrutiny, but the Bernabeu stage offers a chance to reset their season.
Real Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa admitted his side must focus on the collective rather than individuals after rivals Barcelona sealed the LaLiga title with a 2-0 El Clasico victory at Camp Nou on Sunday.
Barcelona sealed back-to-back La Liga titles with a dominant 2-0 victory over Real Madrid at Camp Nou on Sunday on what was an extra emotional day for manager Hansi Flick.
Sevilla are up to 12th place in LaLiga's standings but still only three points clear of the relegation places after beating Espanyol 2-1 at Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on Saturday.
Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick has highlighted the "special atmosphere" inside his squad as his side move within touching distance of the La Liga title ahead of Sunday's Clasico against Real Madrid at Spotify Camp Nou.
