At the race for the La Liga title hots up, the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium will be rocking on Saturday evening as Real Madrid prepare to host Javi Gracia's Málaga CF side.

"We need to focus on this match in order to win it"

- Carlo Ancelotti

With their rivals Barcelona facing a tricky home game against fourth-placed Valencia, Madrid will consider this an opportunity to potentially close the two-point gap at the top of La Liga. Manager Carlo Ancelotti's knows that Málaga will be well up for the battle, and that his side must quickly turn their attention to this game after their midweek, first-leg Champions League quarter-final 0-0 draw with Atlético Madrid. "Malaga played very well against Atletico, performing with a lot of intensity and quality. They beat Barcelona at home and we need to focus on this match in order to win it," he said.

Ancelotti cut a frustrated figure on the sidelines as his side failed to take their chances midweek, but for the moment that will be forgotten with first-place in La Liga well and truly in the balance. Injury problems will keep both Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale out of his side on Saturday evening, but Ancelotti has options as he prepares for what could be a key clash in the title race.

It is no wonder that Ancelotti has cautioned his players against over-confidence this week, as Málaga have repeatedly shown this season that they can mix it with the elite. Towards the end of February, Gracia's side masterminded a 1-0 victory over Barcelona, and last week they showed great strength to pinch a share of the spoils, picking up a 2-2 draw against current Spanish champions Atlético Madrid.

These results are deceptive, however, as Málaga have not managed three points in four La Liga games. The results have now left them five points behind sixth-placed Villarreal, and another defeat may mean the gap is too much to make up. A surprise victory over Madrid at the Bernabéu, however, might just be the spark Gracia's side needs.

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Ben Johnson
Ben; 21; author and journalist.