Real Madrid get La Liga decision as request made ahead of Arsenal Champions League showdown

La Liga have responded to 's reported request to move this weekend's meeting with Alaves in order to give them more time before their second leg against .

The Gunners secured a shock 3-0 victory over the Spanish club in the first leg of the quarter-final tie earlier this week, with bagging a brace and adding a third. The result puts 's side in pole position to reach the semi-finals of the competition, but they must first deny their opponents a comeback at the Bernabeu on Tuesday night.

Arsenal are in action on Saturday evening against Brentford in the , but with the title seemingly out of reach as Liverpool lead by 11 points, Arteta could opt to rotate his squad in order to keep his players fresh for their biggest game of the season. Real Madrid do not have that luxury as the are just four points behind La Liga leaders Barcelona and the race in Spain is still wide open.

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Madrid’s meeting with Alaves also takes place on Sunday afternoon rather than Saturday, g. For that reason, they reportedly lodged a formal request to La Liga to have the game moved to Saturday, but it was to little avail.

That's according to , who made public the email sent by the club to La Liga. "As you well know, this match is strategically located between the two matches we will play against Arsenal in the Champions League quarter finals, on Tuesday, April 8 in London and Wednesday, April 16 in Madrid," the email read.

"Moving the match against Deportivo Alaves to Saturday, April 12 would allow us more time to adequately prepare for both that match and the decisive match on Wednesday, April 16 at the Santiago Bernabeu. We are convinced that our request is entirely reasonable and we trust that it can be met."

The article claims that Alaves were happy for the game to be moved forward by 24 hours, but the request was ultimately denied by La Liga, and the match will go ahead on Sunday as originally scheduled. For Madrid, it highlights the desperate situation they find themselves in as they look to overturn a three-goal deficit and keep their Champions League hopes alive.