Alvaro Arbeloa said the team is extremely motivated to face the final stretch of the season during today’s press conference.

"By wearing this shirt you are obligated to never give up"

Barcelona:

Barcelona may drop points in any of the five games they have left, just like us. We pay little attention to what they do because what matters to us is how we fare. We cannot afford to fail. We will play a complicated match against Zaragoza, who are fighting to avoid relegation. Their stadium has always been a complicated venue for Real Madrid.

Real Zaragoza:

The match will be special for me because I came from Zaragoza’s academy. I played my last game in Spain before leaving for Liverpool at La Romareda. My motivation upon returning home will be different this time around. The match will be difficult. There’s always a special atmosphere there.

Team Spirit:

We’ve showcased great character in complicated situations and we’ve managed to overcome them. We are even more motivated now that we’ve cut our distance with Barcelona by two points. We are very excited. It is impopssible to be more motivated.

Title hopes:

It is mathematically possible for us to win La Liga. We hope Barcelona drop more points. Hope is the last thing you lose. We will fight to reach the 98 point mark.

Real Madrid:

Part of the history of this club is staging comebacks with character, pride and courage. I think it’s part of the genetic composition of the club, and that is why it is so great. By wearing this shirt you are obligated to never give up. We are second right now, but we will fight to the very end.

Consequences of not winning the title:

It will be hard to swallow if we do not win the title, but we will congratulate the champion for making history with the highest point total ever. Until that day comes however… I would bet on us reaching the 98-point mark, so we’ll see what happens come 16 May.

Pellegrini:

We are standing by our coach’s side no matter what. We believe in him and he has our full support. He has given his heart and soul to this club and I think he is doing a great job. No matter what happens he has our support as well as that of the fans.