Looking to cement top position in La Liga, Real Madrid travel to Manuel Martínez Valero to take on Elche.
Following a humiliating 0-4 defeat at the hands of rivals Atletico Madrid on 7 February, the Los Blancos have made a decent comeback, securing comfortable wins against Deportivo and Schalke in the La Liga and Champions League respectively.
Now Real Madrid have a very good chance to re-establish a four-point lead over Barcelona, who suffered an unexpected defeat against Malaga on Saturday.
Although the Los Blancos are expected to beat Elche on Sunday, manager Carlo Ancelotti insists that his side will not be taking anything for granted.
"It'll be difficult, but we're aiming for the win. We have to stay really focused and show intensity," the former Chelsea boss told Real Madrid's official website.
Still Ancelotti, who will be taking charge of his 100th game as Real Madrid manager on Sunday, insists that winning matters to him.
"My objective is always to win. When I arrived I knew that I had to win and in all the teams that I have trained the objective has been to win."
Ancelotti also played down suggestions of Real Madrid president Florentino Perez being unhappy with him, insisting that his future at the Bernabeu does not depend on him winning a trophy this season.
"I don't think that my contract renewal depends on whether we win a trophy this season," said the Italian.
"At the end of the season I think it would be a good moment to talk about the renewal but if that doesn't happen then it is not a problem as I have a contract until June 2016 and I am here to stay.
Meanwhile Elche will also be looking to get a positive result in this game even though they are just hovering around the relegation zone.
Following their defeats to Barcelona and Granada, Elche have been doing well of late, recording back-to-back wins against Rayo Vallecano and Eibar in their last two fixtures.
And Elche boss Fran Escribá feels that it is the right time for his side to face the La Liga leaders.
"We're on a good run, if we look at the results and the feelings, I think you could say we're on a good run," Escribá told reporters in the pre-match conference. "It's better we face Madrid now than a couple months ago."
When asked what kind of strategy Elche would be using against Real Madrid, Escribá said: "We'll try to have a balanced approach, we've had two consecutive victories, then two losses and now two more victories, we're always better when balanced. The lads have shown maturity because they've been able to turn the page and focus on the next task."
Although Real Madrid have not had the greatest of starts to the New Year, Escribá insists that the European Champions are still a very formidable opponent due to the sheer quality of their squad.
"I don't think Madrid are going through a bad moment. They have a foot in the Champions League quarterfinals, they are leading La Liga and a month and a half ago they won the Club World Cup," added the 49-year-old Spaniard.
"The losses are magnified because of the greatness of their players. Madrid challenges you for the full 90 minutes, they are intense and fully prepared for any type of game. We think we have them figured out ahead of the game, but their players can surprise you."
Possible starting lineup:
Elche: Tyton, Lomban, Suarez, Edu Albacar, Roco, Aaron Niguez, Adrian, Fajr, Pasalic, Jonathas, Victor Rodriguez
Real Madrid: Casillas, Carvajal, Pepe, Varane, Marcelo; Silva, Kroos, Isco; Bale, Benzema, Ronaldo
Where to Watch Live
The La Liga match is set to begin at 9 pm local time (1.30 am IST, 8 pm GMT, 3 pm ET) with live coverage in India on Star Sports 4 and Star Sports HD4. Viewers in India can also catch all the action via live streaming online on Starsports.com.
Viewers in the UK can catch all the action on Sky Sports 5 and Sky Sports 5 HD, while the option to live stream is on Sky Go. The Elche vs Real Madrid game will be shown live in the US and Canada on Bein Sports USA and Bein Sports Canada respectively with the live streaming option on Bein Sports Connect.
Viewers in the Middle East and North Africa can catch the match on Bein Sports Arabia or Bein Sports Connect, while the audience in Australia can enjoy the action live on Fox Sports 4 and Foxtel Play.
