What: Spanish La Liga
Who: Malaga vs Real Madrid
When: Saturday 22nd October, 2011, at 19:00 UK time
Where: La Rosaleda, Malaga, Spain
Acid Test
A harsh defeat against one of this season’s surprise teams, Levante, leaves nouveau-riche Malaga in a tight spot as they get ready to welcome La Liga runners-up Real Madrid. A performance similar to the one the side displayed in their last league match would surely prove to be catastrophic for Malaga, especially against this Madrid side.
Having splashed the cash this past summer, Los Boquerones are heavily under observation and are one of the teams expected to eventually break the reigning Spanish league hegemony. With superstars such as Santiago Cazorla and Ruud van Nistelrooy entering the frame, great things can be expected from this side.
The match itself will represent an emotional encounter for Van Nistelrooy, who enjoyed a successful two years at Real Madrid amidst his four-year stay from 2006 until 2010. Accordingly, the former Manchester United ace said that he will not celebrate should he find the net: “If I score against Madrid I will not celebrate. It is a special match for us and more so for those who played for Madrid.”
Yet the emotion will not only be felt by Van Nistelrooy: Axed in favour of Jose Mourinho, Malaga coach Manuel Pellegrini will have a point to prove once he prepares to meet his old side, who he guided to a record-breaking 96 points in 2009/10.
Firing On All Cylinders
Clear weather has reigned over the Spanish capital in recent weeks, as Real Madrid embarked on an excellent run of form as of late, with their latest victims being Lyon, the French side that caused Los Merengues problems time and time again in Europe. With league leaders Barcelona facing a tough task against Sevilla later in the evening, Los Blancos have the chance to put pressure on the reigning champions by winning here.
Mourinho is currently on cloud nine having seen his two strikers, Karim Benzema and Gonzalo Higuain, perform superbly and outclass the club’s opponents week-in week-out. As Higuain netted hat-tricks against Real Betis and Espanyol, Benzema guided and dominated Madrid’s encounter versus his former team Lyon. The Frenchman was the subject on praise from fellow countryman Zinedine Zidane, who claimed that the forward handled the pressure very well: “He [Benzema] knows he is under pressure because there is a player behind him [Higuain] who is scoring a lot of goals. He has responded very well to that pressure.”
However, Real Madrid’s luck on the road has not been that great, as the team suffered a defeat and a draw in the space of three days last month. Jose Mourinho will know the importance of this game and the awareness needed for his team to overcome such a potent obstacle as Malaga.
Recent form
Malaga:
Real Zaragoza 0-0 Malaga
(25/09; La Liga)
Malaga 3-2 Getafe (01/10; La Liga)
Levante 3-0 Malaga (16/10; La Liga)
Real Madrid:
Espanyol 0-4 Real Madrid
(02/10; La Liga)
Real Madrid 4-1 Real Betis
(15/10; La Liga)
Real Madrid 4-1 Lyon (18/10; Champions League)
Key absences
Malaga: Apono (doubt); Weligton; Duda (doubt); Juanmi Jimenez; Willy Caballero (suspended)
Real Madrid: Lassana Diarra (doubt); Nuri Sahin (doubt); Ricardo Carvalho (doubt); Raul Albiol; Sami Khedira (doubt)
Players to watch
Malaga – Ruud van Nistelrooy: 35 years old, Van Nistelrooy’s career is at its very end. Now at Malaga, the penalty box predator faces his old team in an emotional clash. Should his side want to have any hope of imposing themselves on this game, then it is likely that the Dutch striker will have to be at his absolute best.
Real Madrid – Sergio Ramos: Having seen his light dim in recent times, the stopper returned to grab the headlines with a good performance that was capped by a goal against Lyon. With Ricardo Carvalho also likely to sit this one out, Ramos is expected to slot into central defence, where he will have the task of stopping Van Nistelrooy and co.
Match Prediction
Malaga are not “there” yet, as it was shown in the drubbing they received at the hands of Levante – Pellegrini still has a few gaps to fill and edges to mold. Real Madrid’s good run makes them favourites for this one, but Malaga will not be whipping boys. Expect a final score of 2-1 for Jose Mourinho’s side.
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