Having fallen seven points behind Spanish leader Barcelona, Real Madrid has more than one reason not to want former coach Manuel Pellegrini's Malaga to become the first team to take any points from Santiago Bernabeu Stadium this season.
The match on Thursday will be the first meeting between Pellegrini and Madrid since he was fired after last season.
The Chilean's task is immense with Malaga in last place and Madrid having won all 20 games at the Bernabeu this season, ahead of the match later Monday against Almeria.
After 25 rounds last year under Pellegrini, Madrid had one more point and led the standings before eventually succumbing to Barcelona.
Madrid coach Jose Mourinho has guided his team to the Copa del Rey final and it is in a position to reach the Champions League quarterfinals for the first time since 2004. But the league race appears to be slipping away.
Mourinho said the scheduling - all teams are playing three times in nine days - hasn't helped.
"Seven points are a lot, but until the numbers say it is not possible and the difference is definitive, we'll keep fighting," the Portuguese coach said after Saturday's 0-0 draw at Deportivo La Coruna.
Kaka has played only one third of possible minutes since returning from injury. The Brazil playmaker has failed to discover his best form since moving from AC Milan in June 2009 and has only two goals, leading to suggestions in the Spanish media that Madrid may look to unload its ?65 million ($90 million) acquisition.
Cristiano Ronaldo has only two goals in his past nine games, with Madrid having scored 12 fewer times at this point than last year under Pellegrini.
Madrid's 55 goals is one less than Barcelona trio Lionel Messi (26), David Villa (17) and Pedro Rodriguez (13) have combined for this season.
Messi scored his 42nd goal in all competitions in Saturday's 3-0 win at Mallorca, controlling a looping pass with his forehead before using his head again to guide the ball into the net. It was another sublime display from the the Argentina forward that didn't revolve around his favored left foot.
Barcelona will have fullback Daniel Alves back from suspension for Wednesday's match at Valencia and could select Xavi Hernandez after the Spain midfielder missed Saturday's 3-0 win at Mallorca due to a leg injury.
Xavi trained normally on Monday, while defender Carles Puyol and goalkeeper Victor Valdes practiced apart from the squad and are unlikely to play at Mestalla Stadium.
"We like to play two games per week to be better prepared and so there's little time to disconnect," Barcelona defender Gerard Pique said. "Regardless who we play, the team will also play at its best."
Valencia rallied for a 2-1 win at Athletic Bilbao to increase its lead over fourth-place Villarreal to four points in the race for the last automatic qualifying spot for next season's Champions League. Valencia is unbeaten in 11 league games, which includes eight victories.
Villarreal hasn't won for five games but the team overcame a poor performance to draw 2-2 at Racing Santander on Sunday. Villarreal plays Wednesday against relegation-battling Hercules, which has won only once in seven games to sit two points above 17th-place Zaragoza and the drop zone.
Bilbao needs to end a three-game losing streak in Wednesday's match against Zaragoza if it hopes to challenge Villarreal for the last Champions League place.
The Basque club is sixth to trail Villarreal by nine points, while Espanyol is two points above in fifth place.
In other 26th-round games, it's: Espanyol vs. Mallorca; Sevilla vs. Sporting Gijon; Getafe vs. Atletico Madrid; Osasuna vs. Deportivo La Coruna; Real Sociedad vs. Levante; and Almeria vs. Racing Santander.
