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Los Blancos finished off a stellar calendar year in extraordinary fashion, as captain and leader Sergio Ramos lifted the FIFA Club World Cup in December. At the start of the season, only very few people would have predicted that Real Madrid wouldn't be favorites to win another trophy other than this.
Virtually out of the race to retain their La Liga title, they are set to face run-away French leaders Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.
Additionally, there is only a small chance of winning the Copa del Rey, given the presence of in-form teams like FC Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Valencia in the competition, Real Madrid look to be in for an embarrassing season.
With half of the league season over, the club from the Spanish capital trail leaders and eternal rivals Barcelona by 19 points and find themselves in a rather unfamiliar fourth position.
Brazilian full-back Marcelo only recently revealed: "It's how it looks from outside - we are sad, angry and we feel like we are sinking."
Trailing the top three by a minimum of eight points, nothing seems to be working for Zidane's men as they are hanging onto the Champions League spot by only a single point. The Frenchman's tactics have failed miserably this season, most notably in the 3-0 Clasico defeat at home.
Although the manager has publicly announced that he still has faith in his team, the fans' patience is starting to run out, as they witness their team in an awkward battle for pride, rather than glory.
Therefore, it's time to take a look at the five Spanish teams that can send Los Blancos all the way down to the Europa League.
#1 Sevilla FC
Although the Andalusians have had problems of their own in the managerial and administrative departments, on their day, they still stand as a ferocious team capable of ripping apart some of the top defences all over Europe.
This became clearly evident during their remarkable second-half comeback in their 3-3 draw against Liverpool in the Champions League. Sevilla's unwavering determination and commitment could never be questioned.
Sitting only three points behind Real Madrid, Los Rojiblancos would be keen on making good use of their chance to play in the UEFA Champions League next season. With players like Sergio Rico, Nicolas Pareja, Ever Banega and Wissam Ben Yedder in their ranks, Sevilla are very much alive in all three competitions at the moment.
League Standing: 6th [19 Played, 29 Points]
Goals Scored: 23
Goals Against: 28
#2 Villarreal CF
Villarreal shocked the Bernabeu last week as Pablo Fornals' audacious attempt sailed into the net past Keylor Navas, as the Madrid keeper could do nothing except grabbing the eerie air in the Bernabeu.
The Yellow Submarine's victory in the Spanish capital sent Zinedine Zidane's men even deeper into an inescapable void created by their own inconsistency.
Stealing points from both the Madrid clubs, aswell as Valencia in the first stretch of La Liga, Villarreal also displayed their strength against Barcelona. With the experienced Sergio Asenjo leading the team from the back, Villarreal is a force to be reckoned with this season.
Winning the same number of matches as Real Madrid, Villarreal sits only a point behind the defending champions. Los Blancos chances of making it to next year's Champions League are bleak provided Villarreal's stellar run of form.
League Standing: 5th [19 Played, 31 Points]
Goals Scored: 26
Goals Against: 21
#3 Real Betis
Another team that earned a victory in the Bernabeu this year. Real Betis have been in good form under Quique Setien, the veteran tactician, who has rightly earned the nickname "The Master".
Antonio Sanabria's late strike in Madrid was one of the earliest setbacks for Los Merengues, as Real Betis continues to impress in La Liga. The Andalusians continued to show their determination in their thrilling 5-3 derby win over Sevilla a few weeks ago.
Sitting just five points behind the reigning champions, Betis has recently gathered a huge array of talented footballers, including the likes of Cristian Tello, Antonio Sanabria and Sergio Leon.
The team has already found the net 33 times this season, a remarkable figure for a club which only managed to score meager 41 goals last season and finished 15th in the overall table. Shockingly, Betis has managed to score even more goals than Real Madrid this season, who sit at 32.
Los Verdiblancos host Los Blancos in the third week of February, just after the latter's mammoth clash with PSG in the Champions League. Will Betis pull off another upset victory over Zidane's team?
League Standing: 7th [19 Played, 27 Points]
Goals Scored: 33
Goals Against: 36
#4 SD Eibar
Not the most consistent side in this year's Spanish league, SD Eibar has managed to mount up the pressure on their opponents, to keep the points coming in their favour.
They are currently placed just outside the Europa League spots based on goal difference and their head-to-head record with Real Betis. However, Los Armeros have lost just two of their last ten league games, only Barcelona and Atletico Madrid have better records.
Eibar was promoted to La Liga for the first time in their history only as recent as 2014 and having the possibility to play in the UEFA Champions League so recently after their promotion, would certainly send the Basque club into a frenzy.
Eibar is currently managed by the very experienced José Luis Mendilibar, who has managed clubs in Spain for over 24 years. In the closing moments of last season, Eibar nearly upset Barcelona at the Camp Nuo and Real Madrid are still awaiting an unpleasant trip to the Estadio Municipal de Ipurua in March.
League Standing: 8th [19 Played, 27 Points]
Goals Scored: 24
Goals Against: 31
#5 Girona FC
Girona clearly expressed their authority over Los Blancos when the two clubs first met in the Montilivi. 2-1 winners on the night, courtesy of goals by breakthrough players Cristian Stuani and Portu, the newcomers from the second division have been another lowly club rising high in the league table.
The Catalans undoubtedly a problem or two with any club from the Spanish capital, albeit it more because of politics than sports, and that may be a factor that makes Girona an ever-present threat to clubs sitting atop the league standings.
The club is backed by Manchester City, and therefore builds the majority of its roster from players loaned out of the Manchester club.
Another example of Pep Guardiola's ever-present vision, Girona could turn out to be one of the big breakthroughs when the season finally ends. While the City Football Group owns nearly half of the club, the other half is owned by a group lead by Guardiola's brother.
In addition to their victory against the Galacticos, the Gironistes also held Atletico Madrid to a draw and played some good football against fellow Catalan club and league leaders FC Barcelona.
League Standing: 10th [19 Played, 26 Points]
Goals Scored: 28
Goals Against: 28
