Real Madrid vs. Malaga: Team News, Predicted Lineups, Live Stream, TV Info
Will he or won't he? Will he or won't he?
For consecutive games now, football writers the world over have been expecting to cover it, the story. Their notes prepped, their ideas formulated, their statistics sorted, the game's scribes are now simply waiting for it to transpire: for Cristiano Ronaldo to break the all-time record for Real Madrid goals.
Most had expected last weekend's clash with Granada at the Bernabeu to be the day. When it wasn't, many assumed Wednesday and a trip to the San Mames would be it. Instead, consecutive scoreless games from the Portuguese have forced some minor tweaks to many a pre-written number.
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Minor is the operative word here, though, and those numbers are scarcely believable, none more so than this: Just two goals shy of Raul's club record of 323, Ronaldo has played 435 fewer games than the man he's chasing. Four hundred and thirty-five.
When he inevitably breaks the record, it will be the equivalent of beating the world mark for the marathon by an hour. And remember, it won't be for just anyone; it will be for the club voted the greatest of the 20th century. Ronaldo will sit on top of a list featuring Raul, Alfredo Di Stefano, Carlos Santillana, Ferenc Puskas, Hugo Sanchez, Paco Gento and Emilio Butragueno, and he'll be on top by a distance. It's incredible.
Might Saturday be the day, then?
You'd imagine the Ballon d'Or winner fancies his chances at home at the Bernabeu against Malaga. A Malaga that hasn't yet won this season. A Malaga that hasn't yet scored this season. A Malaga currently as inspiring as a supermarket sandwich.
What's more, we've already seen in this campaign what can happen when Ronaldo has consecutive scoreless games: He goes ballistic in the next one.
After failing to find the back of the net against Sporting Gijon and Real Betis, the Portuguese slammed home five, a "manita," against Espanyol, a somewhat starved Ronaldo hunting goals more feverishly than a ravenous and desperately hungover teenager hunting a Burger King.
Malaga, you've been warned.
For the Andalusians, the timing of this trip to the capital hardly comes at an opportune moment. After putting together a strong challenge for European places last season, Javi Gracia's side has started the new campaign with the verve of bingo hall, a host of summer departures being keenly felt.
Indeed, the losses of Samuel and Samu Castillejo to Villarreal, Sergi Darder to Lyon and Juanmi to Southampton have sucked the life out of Malaga, ripping away Gracia's attack and forcing the manager to completely reconstruct his team on a strict budget. Time will be needed, as will some luck, but right now the club is short on both.
Admittedly, Los Boquerones in five games to date have already met three of the league's stronger outfits in Barcelona, Villarreal and Sevilla, but you've got problems when you're not scoring once against Eibar and Getafe.
Now they've got Real Madrid at the Bernabeu. And though the home side have some injury concerns, the early signs are positive for Benitez's outfit.
Top of the table, unbeaten, having conceded only once, Real Madrid couldn't have hoped for a better start under their new boss. "The team are in good spirits, we're full of confidence, and are in good shape to face what we have ahead of us now," Benitez said at his pre-match press conference on Friday. "But this is only the beginning."
That's certainly true, and Real's opponents to date haven't been what you'd call imposing. But Wednesday's victory over Athletic Bilbao was significant for both the points and the nature of the performance, the team emerging unscathed from a major test, a pattern of attacking football and sound defensive work continuing.
The next objective: another win and a Ronaldo record.
Match Details
Date: Saturday, September 26
Time: 5:15 p.m. BST / 12:15 p.m. EDT / 6:15 p.m. local
Venue: Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain
TV Info: Sky Sports (UK), beIN Sports (U.S.)
Live Stream: Sky Go (UK), beIN Sports CONNECT (U.S.)
Form Lines
| W: 2-1 vs. Athletic Bilbao | L: 0-1 vs. Villarreal |
| W: 1-0 vs. Granada | L: 0-1 vs. Getafe |
| W: 4-0 vs. Shakhtar Donetsk | D: 0-0 vs. Eibar |
| W: 6-0 vs. Espanyol | L: 0-1 vs. Barcelona |
| W: 5-0 vs. Real Betis | D: 0-0 vs. Sevilla |
| D: 0-0 vs. Sporting Gijon | W: 2-0 vs. Lekhwiya |
Team News
Real Madrid will be without central defender Pepe against Malaga on Saturday after the club announced the 32-year-old had suffered a muscular injury in his left leg against Athletic Bilbao.
Pepe adds to an injury list that also features James Rodriguez, Gareth Bale and Danilo, while the recovering Sergio Ramos also remains in doubt for Los Blancos.
As a result, Nacho could earn a rare start alongside Raphael Varane in the centre of the defence if Ramos misses out, while Mateo Kovacic could retain his starting place after an impressive showing in Basque Country.
For Malaga, Flavio Ferreira, Ignacio Camacho and Roque Santa Cruz are unavailable through injury, while attacking midfielder Nordin Amrabat is in doubt after missing Wednesday's clash with Villarreal because of a ligament sprain in his right ankle.
Predicted Lineups
In the Spotlight
For various reasons, we could probably attempt to explain why Saturday's spotlight will be on Mateo Kovacic or Nacho or Raphael Varane or Javi Gracia or Malaga's non-existent attack, but then we'd just be kidding ourselves.
Saturday is about it. The story. The day. The will he or won't he?
Ronaldo.
"I know he's going to score loads of goals, that's all there is to it," Benitez said of the Portuguese on Friday, speaking of the season as a whole.
On Saturday, three is the number, a number that would lead to the number: 324.
Odds (via Odds Shark)
Real Madrid: 1-8
Draw: 7-1
Malaga: 14-1
