The blood has dried up. The wounds have been healed. Now, Real Madrid will look to move past Wednesday's Madrid Derby and refocus on the league campaign. The clash between Real Madrid and Malaga is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET and can be live streamed here free. Additional TV coverage can be found on beIN Sports.
The Stage
No disrespect to Malaga, but they aren't Atletico Madrid and this isn't Wednesday. That, undoubtedly, is where Real Madrid's focus remains following Tuesday's scoreless draw at the Vicente Calderon; however, it's Carlo Ancelotti's responsibility to ensure his men remain focused at the task at hand.
Only two points separate Real Madrid from another La Liga title. Looking past the threat Malaga poses would only see that deficit increase.
Be wary of the trap game.
The In-Form Player
No, Gareth Bale isn't in form. If he was, he would've buried his opportunity in the first half of Tuesday's contest. With an injury to Karim Benzema (knee), however, Ancelotti will be forced to transition to a more-favored 4-4-2 system with Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo as the point men. A more attack-minded role will allow Bale to improve on his 13 goals and seven assists this campaign.
Projected Lineups
Malaga (4-2-3-1): Kameni; Boka, Sanchez, Angeleri, Rosales; Recio, Darder; Castillejo, Amrabat, Samuel; Juanmi
Real Madrid (4-4-2): Casillas; Marcelo, Pepe, Ramos, Carvajal; James, Kroos, Modric, Isco; Ronaldo, Bale
Updated League Table
| Rnk | Team | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | +/- | Pts | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FC Barcelona | 31 | 24 | 3 | 4 | 87 | 19 | 68 | 75 | |||
| 2 | Real Madrid CF | 31 | 24 | 1 | 6 | 92 | 27 | 65 | 73 | |||
| 3 | Atlético Madrid | 31 | 20 | 6 | 5 | 59 | 25 | 34 | 66 | |||
| 4 | Valencia CF | 31 | 19 | 8 | 4 | 56 | 23 | 33 | 65 | |||
| 5 | Sevilla FC | 31 | 19 | 5 | 7 | 57 | 36 | 21 | 62 | |||
| 6 | Villarreal CF | 31 | 14 | 9 | 8 | 44 | 30 | 14 | 51 | |||
| 7 | Málaga CF | 31 | 13 | 7 | 11 | 34 | 35 | -1 | 46 | |||
| 8 | RCD Espanyol | 32 | 11 | 9 | 12 | 39 | 40 | -1 | 42 | |||
| 9 | Athletic Club | 31 | 11 | 7 | 13 | 28 | 37 | -9 | 40 | |||
| 10 | Celta de Vigo | 31 | 10 | 9 | 12 | 36 | 34 | 2 | 39 | |||
| 11 | Real Sociedad | 31 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 36 | 42 | -6 | 38 | |||
| 12 | Rayo Vallecano | 31 | 12 | 2 | 17 | 36 | 59 | -23 | 38 | |||
| 13 | Getafe CF | 31 | 10 | 6 | 15 | 28 | 41 | -13 | 36 | |||
| 14 | Eibar | 31 | 8 | 7 | 16 | 28 | 43 | -15 | 31 | |||
| 15 | Elche CF | 31 | 8 | 7 | 16 | 26 | 54 | -28 | 31 | |||
| 16 | Levante UD | 32 | 7 | 8 | 17 | 30 | 60 | -30 | 29 | |||
| 17 | UD Almería | 31 | 7 | 7 | 17 | 27 | 50 | -23 | 28 | |||
| 18 | Deportivo La Coruña | 31 | 6 | 10 | 15 | 27 | 49 | -22 | 28 | |||
| 19 | Granada CF | 31 | 4 | 12 | 15 | 20 | 56 | -36 | 24 | |||
| 20 | Córdoba CF | 31 | 3 | 10 | 18 | 21 | 51 | -30 | 19 |
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (lineups and statistics via WhoScored).
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