Having taken over top spot in the La Liga, Real Madrid will want to stay there, and to do that they need to beat Malaga at the Bernabeu on Saturday.
Real Madrid moved to the top of the La Liga table thanks to a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday and that big 4-1 loss by Barcelona to Celta Vigo.
With Barca and Atletico Madrid also playing on Saturday – Barcelona play in the early game – Real Madrid will know they cannot afford to drop points against Malaga, who are second from bottom, having managed just two points from five matches.
"We have to focus on Malaga, they are a good side and you could see in their game against Barcelona that they are well organised and have a very clear playing style," Real Madrid manager Rafa Benitez said. "We need to be focused and very alert because these kinds of teams can surprise you and you need to know how to respond.
"We're familiar with [our opponents] and with the information we've obtained from watching their matches we know they are a good side, who play positive football and the only thing they're lacking at the moment is a bit of good fortune in front of goal.
"They are a well-organised team and the league table doesn't do them justice. We're up against a good side that know what they're doing."
Karim Benzema was the star in midweek for Real Madrid, scoring both the goals against Bilbao. That also meant that Ronaldo was made to wait for another game at least to equal Raul's all-time Real Madrid goalscoring record, or even go past it, with the Portuguese, at the moment, a goal behind.
Benitez has no doubts that the goals will come soon for Ronaldo, who has already netted a hat-trick and a five-goal smash this season. "I know he's going to score loads of goals, that's all there is to it," the Spaniard added. "We have to make chances and hit the target knowing that Cristiano Ronaldo is going to score a lot of goals.
"Cristiano is still getting plenty of shots on goal. You get chances and a lot of the time it's the keeper who denies you. I was speaking with him 20 minutes ago. His figures in front of goal are excellent, he's in great form and if he doesn't score in a given game, that's not a problem because we think he's a phenomenal player."
Where to Watch Live
Real Madrid vs Malaga is set to begin at 6.15 pm local time (9.45 pm IST, 5.15 pm BST, 12.15 pm ET). Sony Kix and Sony Kix HD will show the La Liga match live in India, with the online live streaming option on Livsports.
Audience in the Middle East, North Africa, USA, Canada and Australia will be able to watch Real Madrid play Malaga live on Bein Sports, while the live stream option is on Bein Sports Connect. Spain viewers can catch the match live on Canal+.
Viewers in the UK can watch the La Liga match live on Sky Sports 2, while the action can also be live streamed on Sky Go.
