Where: Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid, Spain
When: Sunday, March 18 at 4:30 p.m. ET
After dispatching CSKA Moscow and making it to the quarterfinals, in which they will face APOEL FC, Real Madrid now have to travel to Málaga to take on Manuel Pellegrini’s men. José Mourinho will be happy with his team’s current position in La Liga but will be wary of the performance his men put up against Real Betis. Even against CSKA, Real did not dominate the match and also had to endure nervous moments in the final minutes.
Manuel Pellegrini, on the other hand, will be pretty pleased with the fantastic run of form of his team. After starting the season in a not-so-promising manner after bank-rolled by the Qataris, the Chilean seems to have finally got his team to respond to his tactics. Málaga have now won their last three matches and look strong contenders for the last Champions’ League spot.
Last time, both these sides met in the league, Real Madrid brushed aside their Andalusian opponents 4-0 with a fantastic hat trick from the Portuguese superstar, Cristiano Ronaldo.
Real Madrid’s defense has been a bit shaky in recent encounters. They do not have same invincible aura they had earlier in the campaign. It could very well be the fatigue setting in but the players know that this phase of the season is a very crucial one. Mourinho may not tinker much with his defense and go with his usual defensive line-up of Arbeloa, Pepe, Ramos and Marcelo.
With the situation of Sahin still unclear and Khedira bossing the midfield alongside Xabi Alonso, Mourinho has no reason to try a different combination in central midfield in this important clash. Di Maria is still out with an injury which means that Ozil will take his place on the right. Kaka will take centre stage as the primary playmaker with Ronaldo and Benzema ahead of him.
Malaga have been in superb form lately and it will be very difficult to control the tempo of the game for Real Madrid with players like Cazorla, Isco and Joaquin in their opposition ranks.
Real Madrid Probable Starting XI (4-2-3-1) : Casillas; Arbeloa, Pepe, Ramos, Marcelo; Khedira, Alonso; Ozil, Kaka, Ronaldo; Benzema
Malaga Probable Starting XI (4-2-3-1): Caballero; Gamez, Demichelis, Weligton, Monreal; Cazorla, Recio; Joaquin, Isco, Eliseu; Rondon
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