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

Real Madrid is a heavy favorite in Saturday's La Liga clash against Real Zaragoza. Madrid leads rival Barcelona by five points as the season passes the halfway mark and will be looking to increase the lead with another win over Zaragoza, who they beat 6-0 earlier in the season.

The Whites have used their dominant offense to open up some space between themselves and Barca. Dethroning the champions should be the team's ultimate goal since it would give them bragging rights for an entire year, regardless of the head-to-head results.

Things haven't been so fun for Zaragoza. The Blanquillos would need a miracle to avoid relegation after picking up just 12 points in their first 19 games to sit in last place. They have conceded the most goals and scored the second least, so there are no shortage of problems to be fixed moving forward.

Where: Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid, Spain

When: Saturday, Jan. 28 at 2 p.m. ET

Watch: Gol TV USA and ESPN3.com

Betting Odds: Real Madrid -2000, Real Zaragoza +2570, Draw +1000

Player to Watch for Real Madrid: Cristiano Ronaldo

Games against inferior opponents like Zaragoza are usually when Ronaldo dazzles. He's simply on a completely different level than the players attempting to slow him down, which allows him to show off his immense talent.

He currently leads Lionel Messi by one tally to lead La L and you can bet he's keeping a close eye on those totals. He'll want to find the net a couple times on Saturday to stretch that advantage while also helping fend off any shocking upset bids.

Player to Watch for Real Zaragoza: Luis Garcia

Garcia arrived to Zaragoza from Espanyol and has quickly turned into the team's most consistent offensive threat. While that doesn't seem like much considering the Blanquillos' struggles in the attacking third, without him it would be even worse.

The 30-year-old Spanish veteran has three goals and two assists while developing some nice chemistry with Heder Postiga up top. The pair would have to put on the performance of a lifetime to challenge Real Madrid, though.

Key Matchup: Madrid attack vs. Zaragoza back line

It wasn't a pretty sight for Zaragoza supporters the first time around. Madrid's potent attack was able to pass circles around their team's defense en route to six tallies and it could have been more if not for some nice saves by Roberto Gago.

Saturday's game will be a nice measuring stick game for the Blanquillos to see if they've made any progress since the season began. But with Madrid attempting to put as much distance between themselves and Barcelona, it's an uphill battle to be sure.

What They're Saying

Mark Doyle of Goal.com reports that Pepe will not be suspended following an incident involving Messi during a recent Copa del Rey match, but he might not be out of the woods yet.

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Consequently, Pepe, having already been included in the Madrid squad to face Barca on Wednesday night, is now free to play in the second leg of the quarter-final tie at Camp Nou.

However, that might not be the end of the affair because, according to La Jornada, a Barca socio, Stefan Froreich, has filed a legal complaint against Pepe in a Barcelona court.

The paper claims that the German, who lives in Catalunya, has accused the centre-half of causing criminal harm under Article 147 of the Penal Code.

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Prediction

Real Madrid 4, Real Zaragoza 0