Carlo Ancelotti at risk of Real Madrid sack before Copa del Rey final | OneFootball

Real Madrid officials have not ruled out sacking manager Carlo Ancelotti immediately if the team fall to another humiliating result against Athletic Club on Sunday.

The boss has been under pressure all year but, having seen the team fall behind in the La Liga title race and dumped out of the Champions League, it was reported the decision has already been made to sack Ancelotti after the upcoming Copa del Rey final against Barcelona.

If true, that would give Ancelotti just three more matches as Madrid manager, starting with Sunday's meeting with Athletic Club before Los Blancos travel to face Getafe in midweek. Relevo, however, state there is no guarantee Ancelotti will reach that second fixture.

Madrid officials have grown so concerned by the direction of the team that they have not ruled out sacking Ancelotti after the Athletic game if the Europa League semi-finalists hand Madrid another humiliating result.

Those responsible for making decisions see the Athletic game as a true test of Madrid's adversity ahead of the Copa del Rey final, and a poor response could ultimately force them to part ways with Ancelotti immediately.

As it stands, there is no desire to do away with Ancelotti so soon, with Madrid wary of bringing in a temporary manager for an incredibly challenging part of the season, but the Italian is under significant pressure to prove he is capable himself.

Regardless of what happens in the short term, Ancelotti is not expected to be in charge for the Club World Cup this summer. Madrid hope to hire Bayer Leverkusen's Xabi Alonso as their new manager before the competition begins but face the prospect of paying an enormous fee to get a deal done.

There have been rumours of a possible bid to hire former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, although the German's agent has dismissed speculation he could leave his current role as Red Bull's head of global soccer.