Malaga vs. Real Madrid: Date, Time, Live Stream, TV Info and Preview
Real Madrid and Carlo Ancelotti have the chance to set yet another record on Sunday when they travel to Malaga for Matchday 13 of the 2014-15 La Liga season.
The league leaders have won 15 consecutive matches across all competitions, tying a club record set by Jose Mourinho and Miguel Munoz, via FourFourTwo. Neither Mourinho or Munoz ever made it to 16.
To make history, Ancelotti's men will have to get past Malaga, winners of five of their last six matches in La Liga, via WhoScored.com. Los Blancos will have to earn the record the hard way, and a trip to La Rosaleda is never easy.
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Date: Saturday, November 29
Time: 7 p.m. GMT/2 p.m. ET
Venue: Estadio La Rosaleda, Malaga
TV info and live stream: The match will be broadcast on Sky Sports 5 (for UK viewers) and BeIN Sports (for US viewers), with mobile coverage available via the Sky Go app and BeIN Sports Connect.
Preview
The race at the top of the standings is very close in Spain, but Champions League holders Real Madrid have been far and away the best club in La Liga this season. As reported by WhoScored, they lead the league in goals, rank second in goals conceded and field two of the country's top scorers.
Karim Benzema's seven goals are impressive, but his efforts are dwarfed by Cristiano Ronaldo's incredible 20 strikes. The Portugal international is the favourite for this year's Ballon d'Or trophy, and it's easy to see why.
Former England international Gary Lineker explained manager Ancelotti's thinking:
Los Blancos' dominant run of 15 straight wins is a fantastic statistic, but it won't be easy to obtain the record against Malaga on Saturday. As previously stated, the hosts had won five straight prior to their 3-1 loss against Atletico Madrid, a match that got out of hand with multiple dismissals.
Full-back Miguel Torres told reporters he has the utmost respect for his former club, but he believes he and his team-mates have what it takes to trouble Real, via Inside Spanish Football's Heath Chesters:
"Players always want to test themselves against the best, to grow as footballers. It will be very complicated, but we believe in our work and we’ll be courageous confronting this game.
Games like this require the utmost determination and total concentration. Real Madrid are very fast getting forward when they win possession of the ball and they have some of the best defenders around. Our idea is to play a bold and courageous game against them. We’ll be working hard, trying to create danger and expose any weak points they have.
"
Malaga's main danger man in 2014-15 has been Nordin Amrabat, and it should come as little surprise the team saw their win streak end after the Moroccan international went down with an injury.
He'll be joined by Juanmi and Ignacio Camacho as regular starters who won't feature on Saturday, but Samuel Garcia's suspension has been overturned, according to La Liga Time:
"RFEF have withdrawn Málaga's Samu Garcia two yellow cards suspension and he will be able to play against Real Madrid.
— La Liga Time (@laligatime) November 27, 2014"
There's no denying the visitors will be the big favourites, and Malaga's list of absent players will only boost Los Blancos' chances. Zonal Marking's Michael Cox still believes it will be a great clash, however:
Given Real's phenomenal form, there's no reason to bet against Ancelotti's men other than history. Munoz and Mourinho never managed 16 straight wins, so it would be tempting to believe this Madrid squad will also fall at the last hurdle.
But players such as Ronaldo, James Rodriguez and Isco have been so good over the past several weeks that Malaga's depleted squad simply doesn't have the players required to halt Real's march.
Without Amrabat, the visitors don't have to worry about the counter-attack too much, and if you allow Real to commit bodies forward, you're in for a rough match.
Prediction: Malaga 0-3 Real Madrid
