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

With the Copa del Rey out of sight and the restart of the UEFA Champions League upcoming, Real Madrid will look to pad their lead atop La Liga with a visit from Levante on Sunday.

Los Blancos haven't dropped a league tie since Dec. 10, when Barcelona blasted them in El Clasico at the Camp Nou, 3-1. Meanwhile, Las Granotas remain within striking distance of a spot in next season's Champions League, despite going winless in their last six fixtures amidst the absence of Arouna Kone.

Levante scored a 1-0 upset over Real Madrid when these two sides last met at the Ciutat de Valencia on Sept. 18.

Where: Estadio Santiago Bernabeu; Madrid, Spain

When: Sunday, Feb. 12 at 3:30 p.m. EST

Watch: SuperSport 10, SuperSport 3 Africa, TEN Action+, Sky Calcio 2, Sport TV2, Canal+ 1/HD/30, Sky Sports 1/HD, Canal+ Gol Polska

Live Stream: ESPN3

Real Madrid Player to Watch: Cristiano Ronaldo

And you were expecting who else exactly?

Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 24 goals in 21 La Liga ties—one more than Barcelona's Lionel Messi—along with a solid seven assists. Ronaldo's had considerable success against Levante in the past, with three goals and two assists in four career appearances against Las Granotas.

Expect the Portuguese prince to have every opportunity to shoot at his own discretion to prevent another disappointing defeat for Madrid.

Levante Player to Watch: Juanlu

With top attacker Arouna Kone preoccupied with his commitment to Cote d'Ivoire at the Africa Cup of Nations, Levante will turn to Juanlu to pick up the scoring slack in his absence.

The 31-year-old Spaniard has notched six goals in 14 league appearances for Las Granotas this season, though he's yet to score on Los Blancos in his lengthy career in the Primera Division.

Given where Levante stands in the league table at the moment, Sunday would be a pretty good time to start.

Key Matchup: Sami Khedira vs. Sergio Ballesteros

Madrid may well have found itself 10 points clear of Barca instead of "just" seven at this point had it not been for Sami Khedira's red card in the first meeting with Levante this season. Khedira earned his first booking at the 25-minute mark before winding up in a 40th-minute row with Sergio Ballesteros, for which he was sent off.

That left Madrid a man down for the majority of the match, making it that much more difficult for Jose Mourinho's attack to muster anything of consequence against Las Granotas. Los Blancos will need Khedira to keep a cool head this time around, lest they concede yet another defeat to the Valencian side. 

What They're Saying

With all the rumors swirling about Jose Mourinho's future at the Santiago Bernabeu, there's at least one Madrid player who publicly has his boss's back.

Jose Callejon came out in support of "The Special One" and suggested that he doesn't think Mourinho wants or is going to leave, telling AS:

"

"I don't think he is going to leave because he is happy here. He wants to work and do things right. I see him as calm and with the desire to win many titles.''

"

That may well change now that Fabio Capello is out as manager of the England National Team. Mourinho has previously expressed a desire to hop back across the pond at some point, whether it be on a club or an international level.

Prediction: Real Madrid 3, Levante 0

Levante has struggled to accomplish much of anything on the attack without Arouna Kone. Expect that to continue in Madrid, with Los Blancos blasting Las Granotas to avenge the embarrassment of their previous defeat.

Follow Josh Martin on Twitter.