Real Madrid will look to keep pace with Barcelona and Atletico Madrid when it takes on newly promoted Elche on Wednesday.
Los Blancos entered their sixth contest of the season with four victories and one draw; the lone draw came against another newly promoted Villarreal side. After that result, coach Carlo Ancelotti has been weary about approaching the Elche match with anything other than respect for the opponent.
"We must be careful with this game," he said, according to ESPN. "We have the experience of Villarreal, where it was a very difficult game.
"Tomorrow will be the same -- they will be very up for it, very motivated to play against Real Madrid. We talked with the players, and everyone agreed we needed to start games with a different intensity."
Madrid will be without new acquisition Gareth Bale for the Wednesday game due to a thigh injury the Welshman suffered this past weekend at home against Getafe. However, Ancelotti is confident that Bale will be healthy in time for the hotly anticipated clash with Atletico Madrid this weekend.
"[Bale] began to train yesterday, he did individual work and I believe he will be fine for Saturday's game," he said. "He will not be there tomorrow, and we must get him ready for Saturday."
Elche sits in 16th place with just three points this season; however, the team is still looking for its first win of the year as it has only accumulated three draws and two losses thus far.
Prediction: Madrid wins 3-0.
Start Time: 4 p.m. EST
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