Real Madrid vs. Malaga: Preview, Live Stream, Start Time and More

Real Madrid has won all three matches since their loss to La Liga rivals Barcelona back in December, and they will look to continue their dominance in the Copa Del Rey against a talented Malaga club on Tuesday.

Los Blancos sit atop the league table with 40 points, three ahead of Barcelona. They also have scored the most goals in Spain with 55.

The last Copa Del Rey match for Madrid was a 5-1 domination of Ponferradina, marking the sixth time Los Blancos had scored at least five goals in a match this season.

Malaga are seventh in the league table but are hoping to pull of an amazing upset of Madrid, who are the defending champions of the competition.

Let's look at everything you need to know about this awesome matchup.

Where: Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain

Watch: GolTV USA and Sky Sports HD1

Live Stream: Sky Sports

When: Tuesday, Jan. 3 at 4:00 p.m. ET

Player to watch for Real Madrid: Jose Callejon

Real Madrid forward Jose Callejon scored twice in the club's last Copa Del Rey match against Ponferradina and should play a part in Tuesday's match against Malaga as a starter or a substitute.

Callejon has good speed and finishes well in front of goal. He leads Madrid in scoring during this season's Copa Del Rey and should feature in this match.

Callejon will want to prove he can be a regular in manager Jose Mourinho's starting XI.

Player to watch for Malaga: Ruud van Nistelrooy

Ruud van Nistelrooy is one of the best players in recent times and for Malaga, he is playing an important role in their success this season.

Van Nistelrooy scored in the club's last Copa Del Rey match against Getafe, which ended in a 2-2 draw. He is still capable of being effective against elite clubs such as Real Madrid and Los Bloncos have to keep tabs on him for the duration of the match.

Key Matchup: Real Madrid attack vs. Malaga wingers

Real Madrid has so many quality wingers that could give Malaga real problems unless they are effective in stopping their speed down the outside.

Angel Di Maria, Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcelo excel on the wing and will use their speed to create quality scoring chances for themselves and teammates on Tuesday versus Malaga.

What They're Saying

Jose Mourinho recently responded to speculation about whether he may or may not return to the Premier League, saying via Soccernet:

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"You don't translate 'a couple of years' literally—it's an English expression to mean a few years, not exactly two. It could be two, three, four, 20—you never know," Mourinho, who signed an initial four-year deal when becoming Madrid coach in 2010, said on the club's official website.

"Everyone knows that I enjoyed being in England a lot and everyone knows that one day England will be a natural destination for me because in my career, which I hope will be 20 years or more, one day I will have to look for a destination."

 

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Prediction: Real Madrid win 4-1

Real Madrid have too much attacking quality to not score more than three goals in this match, and Mourinho has several match-winners in his squad.

His bench also has some amazing talent that could turn momentum in his club's favor if they struggle in the early going.

Madrid's last game against Malaga was a 4-0 league win on October 18. Against an inferior squad, Madrid will win convincingly on Tuesday and take another step toward a second consecutive Copa Del Rey title.