Real Madrid will expect to continue their 100% home record when they play host to a Malaga side who have yet to win away in the La Liga this season.

Madrid have stumbled on their travels of late, picking up one point from their trips to Osasuna and Athletic Bilbao, but they have been imperious at home with nine successive league wins - scoring 30 goals and conceding just six in the process.

That has left them as firm favourites heading into Sunday's clash, where anything other than a victory could see Madrid lose further ground on title rivals Barcelona.

Barca are currently five points clear of Madrid and could extent that to eight this evening when they face fourth-bottom Real Valladolid.

Madrid coach Manuel Pellegrini said: "Defeating Malaga is very important, regardless of what Barcelona do in their game. Our duty is not to think about anything other than our game. This is the only way we can reduce the points difference.

"We failed to win in Pamplona and Bilbao. I think we did a good job in both games, but the ball sometimes doesn't seem to want to go in. We have to work hard to improve on this."

He added: "We have to stay firm at home. We cannot think about the end of La Liga when there are still 60 points at stake in the competition. We must focus on one game at a time."

Pellegrini also played down the fact Cristiano Ronaldo has yet to get off the mark in 2010.

Ronaldo scored nine times in his first seven matches for Madrid before suffering an ankle injury against Marseille in September that kept him sidelined for two months.

The Portugal international then scored four goals in five appearances following his comeback, but since the winter break the £80million man has not managed to find the back of the net in the matches against Osasuna, Real Mallorca and Athletic.

Pellegrini insists there is no cause for concern though, saying: "Cristiano Ronaldo is calm. Failing to score may sometimes make a player anxious, but I don't think that is the case with him.

"What really matters is that the team wins and scores as many goals as it possibly can. Cristiano will score again; it's only a matter of time."

Pellegrini is without the injured Gonzalo Higuain, Pepe, Mahamadou Diarra, Rafael van der Vaart and Ruud van Nistelrooy for Sunday's match.

Argentina midfielder Fernando Gago, who like Van Nistelrooy is being linked with a move away from Madrid during the January transfer window, is also missing due to a niggle and Pellegrini has called up youngster Pedro Mosquera in his place.

Malaga picked up only their third win of the season last weekend by downing Getafe 1-0, and that helped them climb out of the relegation zone for the first time since week six.

Juan Ramon Lopez Muniz's side are still only a point above the bottom three and they are one of just four sides who have yet to win away this season, but their recent form should give them some hope for their trip to the Bernabeu.

They are unbeaten in La Liga since November 1 and in their last six league and cup games they have picked up three wins and two draws, although their other result was a 5-1 mauling at Getafe.

Juanito and Nabil Baha are suspended for Sunday's game and Apono is injured.