MX23RW : Friday, March 29 02:32:08| >> :120:8607:8607:
[monks data]
La Liga
May 21, 2017 at 7pm UK
 
Real Madrid logo

0-2

FT(HT: 0-1)
Ronaldo (2'), Benzema (55')

Preview: Malaga vs. Real Madrid

Sports Mole previews Real Madrid's crunch title clash away at Malaga as Zinedine Zidane's charges aim to wrap up their 33rd La Liga crown.

Real Madrid make the trip to Malaga on Sunday knowing that they are just one point away from securing a 33rd La Liga crown and Zinedine Zidane's first title as a coach.

As for the hosts, Malaga are unable to finish higher than 11th and lower than 13th in the table, but will be aiming to end the season on a potentially defining note against Los Merengues.


Malaga

Carlos Kameni of Malaga in action against Barcelona on November 19, 2016© SilverHub

The hosts go into their final fixture aiming to ensure that they finish with their best home run of the season under Juande Ramos, which could potentially see them put together five back-to-back wins on the Costa del Sol.

Ramos finds his side in remarkably good form going into the end of the season. After losing away to Deportivo de La Coruna midway through April, Malaga are now unbeaten in their last five domestic fixtures, having picked up four wins and a draw.

The major subplot developing beneath this fixture is the historical ties that Malaga coach Michel shares with Madrid, having developed a legendary playing career in the capital. With that in mind, though, the coach has insisted that he will be doing all that he can to ensure that his side push Real all the way at the weekend.

Meanwhile, Malaga striker Sandro Ramirez, a former Barcelona player, has also stated that he would like nothing better than to score against Madrid and in turn contribute to Barca sneaking in to win the title.

One major concern for the mid-table side is their woeful La Liga form when coming up against Los Vikingos. As things stand, Madrid have lost just once in 15 league fixtures with Sunday's hosts, who have been on the end of nine defeats.

Recent form: DWWWWL


Real Madrid

Zinedine Zidane looks on during the UEFA Champions League match between AS Roma and Real Madrid on February 17, 2016© AFP

Madrid head into the contest needing just a single point in order to claim their 33rd La Liga title and their first since 2011-12, which was picked up under Jose Mourinho's stewardship.

Aiming to build from last season's triumph in the Champions League, Zidane will unlikely be thinking of rotation despite their place in Europe's showpiece final this term too, meaning that Madrid will probably head into the contest at almost full strength.

Despite blips throughout the campaign, Real have now managed to score in their last 63 games in all competitions, which is now the longest run by a side featuring in the top five leagues across the continent.

Barcelona are lurking close behind Madrid, who lead with a three-point margin, and Luis Enrique's side would claim the title should they finish level on points, given that Barca hold a superior head-to-head record in the two Clasico meetings this season. For that to happen, however, Madrid would have to lose at the La Rosaleda Stadium with Barcelona needing to beat Eibar at home.

Zidane's side beat Celta Vigo 4-1 during the week and Los Blancos will be confident of securing at the least the required point, if not more, come the end of Sunday evening, especially when considering that talisman Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 15 goals in 15 La Liga games against Malaga.

Recent form: WWWWWL


Team News

Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo in training on March 6, 2017© SilverHub

Given the significance of the fixture, Zidane is unlikely to give anyone a rest, leaving Ronaldo and Karim Benzema to start in attack, while Isco is also expected to remain in the hole against his former club.

At the back, Nacho may return to right-back in place of Danilo, with Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane continuing in the middle of defence.

As for the home side, Malaga will remain without a number of players through long-term injury, including Zdravko Kuzmanovic, Bakary Kone and Roberto Rosales.

Ramos is expected to hand appearances to Martin Demichelis, Duda and Weligton at some point too, as they all prepare to play their final games at La Rosaleda.

Malaga possible starting lineup:
Kameni; Miguel Torres, Llorente, Hernandez, Ricca, Recio, Fornals, Jony, Keko, Juan Carlos, Ramirez

Real Madrid possible starting lineup:
Navas; Nacho, Varane, Ramos, Marcelo, Kroos, Modric, Casemiro, Isco, Benzema, Ronaldo


Head To Head

Madrid hold the dominant position when considering the history between these two teams. Across 15 league fixtures, Real have lost just once against Malaga, while picking up nine victories and five draws.


Sports Mole Logo

We say: Malaga 1-3 Real Madrid

Madrid will clearly want to put this fixture to bed as early as possible and will inevitably be looking to win this fixture instead of trying to cling on for a title-winning point. Malaga have a tremendous home record of late, but that might not be enough to prevent a near-to-full strength Real side pushing on to claim the La Liga crown in emphatic fashion.



ID:298531: cacheID:298531:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:9883:No Data Analysis info

Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


Restore Data
Share this article now:
Antoine Griezmann and Sergio Ramos in action during the Champions League final between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid on May 28, 2016
Read Next:
Ramos talks up strength of Madrid squad
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Real Madrid29226164204472
2Barcelona29197360342664
3GironaGirona29195559342562
4Athletic Bilbao29168550262456
5Atletico MadridAtletico29174854342055
6Real Sociedad291210742311146
7Real BetisBetis29101273433142
8Valencia28117103232040
9Villarreal29108114751-438
10Getafe2991193742-538
11Las PalmasLas Palmas29107122932-337
12Osasuna29106133343-1036
13AlavesAlaves2988132635-932
14Mallorca29612112535-1030
15Rayo Vallecano29611122538-1329
16Sevilla29610133644-828
17Celta Vigo2969143244-1227
18CadizCadiz29313132040-2022
19Granada2828183058-2814
20Almeria29110182857-2913


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!