Malaga vs. Real Madrid: How Los Blancos Should Line Up in La Liga Match

A win on Saturday against Malaga at La Rosaleda won't be just another win for Real Madrid. It will be the win that breaks the club record for consecutive victories.

In the 1960s, when managed by Miguel Munoz, Los Blancos won 15 games in a row. More recently, when Jose Mourinho was in charge, they repeated the feat. And now, after Wednesday's 1-0 win over Basel in the Champions League, Carlo Ancelotti has joined those two in the club's record books.

This weekend, he can eliminate them from it.

Success against Javi Gracia's Malaga side will be Madrid's 16th straight win since they lost back-to-back matches against Real Sociedad and Atletico Madrid earlier this season. It's a run that has included beating Barcelona, winning at Anfield and putting eight past Deportivo La Coruna. It is a run that is worthy of a record.

And after winning in Switzerland earlier this week, Ancelotti at last admitted, as reported by Football Espana, that it will be nice to have the record—his name inscribed in history.

To do that, he'll have to pick the best team available to him, which, with Luka Modric injured, will presumably include the new and improved Isco. Bursting with energy and with an added defensive contribution, the midfielder is returning to the place he once called home.

Leaving Valencia as a teenager, he signed for Malaga and was instrumental in the side managed by Manuel Pellegrini which reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League, where they were cruelly eliminated by Borussia Dortmund. He'll be warmly welcomed to Andalusia, but his performance is unlikely to be sentimental.

Isco started the last two matches—against Elche in the league and Basel in Europe—in a deeper midfield role alongside Toni Kroos, who has started every La Liga game for the European champions. That should again prove the case against Malaga.

The other options—Sami Khedira and Asier Illarramendi—have both had small injury problems over the last seven days. Ancelotti confirmed in his pre-match press conference, per Spanish publication Marca, that Khedira is still not ready; Illarramendi should take a place on the bench.

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He added that there will not be rotations, suggesting those will follow in the midweek Copa del Rey match against UE Cornella at the Bernabeu.

Slightly further forward than Isco and Kroos, Colombian James Rodriguez, the only other player to have begun every league game, is likely to continue.

Ancelotti's front three is unlikely to change—and it shouldn't. Cristiano Ronaldo has scored a staggering 20 goals in his 11 league appearances this season—the Pichichi has been won with less in the past—and he will looking to add to that. It may seem early, but Lionel Messi's record of 50 goals in a Primera Division season must be creeping into his mind.

Gareth Bale, who is still looking for his best form after an injury, should start from the right, and Karim Benzema, who looks to have found his best form this season, will remain through the middle, with Javier Hernandez continuing on the bench.

Reverting to the back, Iker Casillas, who is on the cusp of putting two frustrating years behind him, should replace Keylor Navas.

In defence, Ancelotti has his pick of full-backs. Alvaro Arbeloa and Fabio Coentrao started in midweek, but the Italian may return to form against Malaga and restore Dani Carvajal and Marcelo to the side.

After being rested for the midweek jaunt across Europe, Pepe should also come back into partner Sergio Ramos. Raphael Varane was paired with the Spanish international in the win against Basel, although the Frenchman has featured more regularly from the bench in the league, and normality should be restored at La Rosaleda.


How Los Blancos should line up: Casillas; Carvajal, Ramos, Pepe, Marcelo; Isco, Kroos, James; Bale, Benzema, Ronaldo