With their place in the Champions League semifinals secure, Real Madrid turn to La Liga on Sunday. The first-division clash against Celta Vigo is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET and can be live streamed here free. Additional TV coverage can be found on beIN Sports.
The Stage
The dreaded trap game.
Real Madrid are fresh off an emotional 1-0 victory over Atletico Madrid on Wednesday. Now, just four days after dramatically advancing to the semifinals of the Champions League, Carlo Ancelotti faces the daunting task of maintaining his players' focus in Vigo.
For the hosts, there will be ample opportunity to take advantage of an emotionally exhausted opponent. Especially if they dictate the pace.
"We have to play with more concentration than ever before, with desire and at 200 percent because when you make a mistake, Real Madrid will hit you on the counter," Celta Vigo defender Jonny said in his pre-match press conference (via Inside Spanish Football). "If we have the ball, we can hurt Real Madrid. "
"We have to continue as we have been up until now, we won't speculate and we're going to go at them."
The In-Form Player
Okay, Javier Hernandez, what can you do for an encore? Still benefiting from injuries to Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema, the 26-year-old will once again have an opportunity to prove his worth at Real Madrid. In 17 league appearances, with just two serving as starts, the 26-year-old has four goals and two assists.
Projected Lineups
Celta Vigo (4-2-3-1): Alvarez; Jonny, Fontas, Cabral, Mallo; Fernandez, Dehli; Nolito, Orellana, Mina; Larrivey
Real Madrid (4-4-2): Casillas; Marcelo, Pepe, Ramos, Carvajal; Isco, Kroos, Illarramendi, Rodriguez; Ronaldo, Hernandez
Updated League Table
| Rnk | Team | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | +/- | Pts | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FC Barcelona | 33 | 26 | 3 | 4 | 91 | 19 | 72 | 81 | |||
| 2 | Real Madrid CF | 32 | 25 | 1 | 6 | 95 | 28 | 67 | 76 | |||
| 3 | Atlético Madrid | 33 | 22 | 6 | 5 | 64 | 26 | 38 | 72 | |||
| 4 | Valencia CF | 32 | 19 | 8 | 5 | 56 | 25 | 31 | 65 | |||
| 5 | Sevilla FC | 32 | 19 | 6 | 7 | 58 | 37 | 21 | 63 | |||
| 6 | Villarreal CF | 33 | 14 | 11 | 8 | 44 | 30 | 14 | 53 | |||
| 7 | Málaga CF | 33 | 13 | 8 | 12 | 35 | 38 | -3 | 47 | |||
| 8 | Athletic Club | 33 | 13 | 7 | 13 | 33 | 37 | -4 | 46 | |||
| 9 | Celta de Vigo | 32 | 11 | 9 | 12 | 37 | 34 | 3 | 42 | |||
| 10 | RCD Espanyol | 33 | 11 | 9 | 13 | 39 | 42 | -3 | 42 | |||
| 11 | Rayo Vallecano | 32 | 13 | 2 | 17 | 38 | 59 | -21 | 41 | |||
| 12 | Real Sociedad | 33 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 36 | 43 | -7 | 39 | |||
| 13 | Getafe CF | 33 | 10 | 6 | 17 | 28 | 46 | -18 | 36 | |||
| 14 | Elche CF | 33 | 9 | 7 | 17 | 27 | 57 | -30 | 34 | |||
| 15 | Levante UD | 33 | 8 | 8 | 17 | 31 | 60 | -29 | 32 | |||
| 16 | Eibar | 32 | 8 | 7 | 17 | 28 | 44 | -16 | 31 | |||
| 17 | Deportivo La Coruña | 33 | 6 | 11 | 16 | 28 | 51 | -23 | 29 | |||
| 18 | UD Almería | 32 | 7 | 7 | 18 | 27 | 52 | -25 | 28 | |||
| 19 | Granada CF | 32 | 4 | 13 | 15 | 21 | 57 | -36 | 25 | |||
| 20 | Córdoba CF | 33 | 3 | 11 | 19 | 21 | 52 | -31 | 20 |
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (lineups and statistics via WhoScored).
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