Real Madrid's winning run now stands at fifteen victories in a row and they will be hoping to extend that when they travel to Andalusia to take on Malaga.
Carlo Ancelotti's side levelled the club record of fifteen wins in a row (although that includes a win in the Copa del Rey) with victory in midweek over Basel in the Champions League, and will be hopeful of breaking the record against Los Boquerones.
Malaga are having a good season and sit 6th in La Liga. They are unbeaten at home with four wins and two draws including a 0-0 draw against Barcelona in a game they can consider themselves unlucky not to have won. Their success has been built on a solid defence that has conceded just twelve goals (=4th in La Liga). They lost away to Atletico Madrid last weekend which ended a run of five successive wins.
Malaga's star player has been Ignacio Camacho, who has been sublime in midfield this season, earning his first cap for Spain this month against Germany. They have some other talented youngsters in Juanmi, Sergi Darder and Samu Castillejo. Unfortunately for Malaga they will be without Camacho and Juanmi due to suspension and injury. Nordin Amrabat is also injured and Roque Santa Cruz looks likely to start in attack.
Isco started for Real Madrid in place of the injured Luka Modric last week and looks likely to retain his place in the starting eleven against his former club especially with Sami Khedira missing out with a knee injury.
Cristiano Ronaldo will once again be the danger man and the Portuguese star has been sublime with twenty goals in his eleven league games. While Ronaldo has been the star it has been an excellent team effort and Los Blancos have scored sixteen goals more than anyone else in La Liga as well as having the second best defence.
Real will be strongly favoured to win this game but La Rosaleda is a difficult place to go and Malaga have already took a point from Barcelona this season. The injuries will make things more difficult and Javi Gracia will have to come up with something special to stop a Real Madrid team at the top of their game.
Projected Lineups
Malaga - Kameni; Rosales, Sanchez, Weligton, Antunes; Recio, Darder; Samuel, Duda, Castillejo; Santa Cruz.
Real Madrid - Casillas; Carvajal, Pepe, Ramos, Marcelo; Isco, Kroos, James; Bale, Benzema, Ronaldo.