Real Madrid maintained the status quo at the top of La Liga with a 3-1 win over a committed and inventive Malaga at the Bernabeu, but there was a price to pay. Luka Modric is expected to be out for six weeks after picking up a knee injury and Gareth Bale limped off after four minutes with a calf strain.
The club's manager Carlo Ancelotti knows there is little room for error in the race for the title, hence fielding his strongest possible team, but prospects for the upcoming Champions League derby match on Wednesday is now a little bleaker than at 6 p.m. CET on Saturday. They now face Atletico on Wednesday in the second leg of the quarterfinals with two of their undisputed first XI unavailable.
Malaga came to the Santiago Bernabeu aiming to add Real Madrid to an impressive list of points unexpectedly gained this season. Javi Gracia's side had taken four points from Barcelona already and were the better side in a 2-2 draw with Atletico last weekend.
Ancelotti said pre-game that he would not tinker with his formation but fielded a 4-4-2 with Isco joining the midfield and Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo up front. Goals from Sergio Ramos, an inspired James Rodriguez and Ronaldo, who missed a penalty at 1-0, sealed victory for the home side.
No comments:
Post a Comment