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

Real Madrid and Malaga will reconvene at La Rosaleda on Tuesday for the second leg of their matchup on the road to the Copa del Rey. Los Blancos bounced Los Boquerones at the Santiago Bernabeu last Tuesday in a shootout, 3-2.

Malaga owned a commanding 2-0 lead at the 29th minute but couldn't fend off a second-half onslaught that saw Madrid put through three goals in a 10-minute span.

Where: La Rosaleda, Malaga, Spain

When: Tuesday, January 10th at 4:00 p.m. EST

Watch: TBA

Live Stream: TBA

Player to Watch for Malaga: Santi Cazorla

Malaga don't score very often, but when they do, they prefer Dos Equis Santi Cazorla is usually involved. The Spanish midfielder leads Los Boquerones in goals and assists in La Liga play. Cazorla is versatile enough to play just about anywhere on the attack and will need to be involved throughout the match if Malaga are to spring the upset on the reigning Spanish Cup champions.

Player to Watch for Real Madrid: Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo is the sort of player who doesn't need to have the ball on his boot to impact the game but is certainly all the more dangerous when he does. The Portuguese prince is the leading goalscorer in Spain, having found the net 20 times in 16 La Liga matches and 25 times in 24 appearances overall.

And if you can somehow keep Cristiano off the score sheet, which Malaga did the first time around, he can always pass the ball off to the likes of Karim Benzema, Gonzalo Higuain, Sami Khedira and Mesut Ozil, among others.

Key Matchup: Los Blancos vs. Los Blancos

The question here isn't whether Madrid will reach the next round of the Copa del Rey, but how convincingly they'll do it. Jose Mourinho's side slacked off a bit to allow Malaga to take control in Madrid but had little trouble storming back in the second half. If Los Blancos are able to carry that form into the second leg, they should be able to put away Los Boquerones rather easily before turning their attention to bigger and better opponents.

What They're Saying

If Malaga are to come out ahead of Madrid, they'll have to do so without Joaquin. According to ESPN Soccernet, the 30-year-old Spanish winger will miss at least a month of pitch time with a torn muscle in his right thigh. 

Joaquin missed the first leg with this same injury.

Real Madrid won't be missing anyone of consequence on Tuesday, though they'll be curiously absent from a certain ceremony the day prior. ESPN Soccernet is reporting that Cristiano Ronaldo and Jose Mourinho will not attend the FIFA Ballon d'Or ceremony in Switzerland on Monday. The club is claiming the match with Malaga as the reason for their nonattendance:

"

"Madrid would like to be in Zurich, but we cannot go against those who control the match calendar."

"

Barcelona striker Lionel Messi is expected to claim the prestigious award for the third year running.

Prediction: Real Madrid 3, Malaga 1

Once again, Los Blancos will start slow before blowing right by Los Boquerones behind the efforts of arguably the best and deepest attack in the world.

Follow @J0shMart1n