Successive draws away from home have seen Real Madrid close to within just one point of La Liga leaders FC Barcelona, who will look to get back to winning ways, starting with a tricky tie at home to Malaga in matchday 21 Sunday night.
While Barca could have expected to draw away to Atletico Madrid a fortnight ago, they most certainly did not expect to drop points away to Levante last week, reports Xinhua.
They took revenge against the Valencia-based side in the Copa del Rey Wednesday with a 4-1 win, but Tata Martino's side must now win at home to Malaga in the Camp Nou.
The atmosphere in the Camp Nou is likely to be strange given recent corruption allegations against club president, Sandro Rosell over the signing of Brazilian striker Neymar and rumours that he is considering his future at the club in the light of these accusations.
On the field of play, Neymar is injured, although Lionel Messi continues to show he is back to his best.
Real Madrid can go top for 24 hours if they are able to defeat Granada in the Santiago Bernabeu, a game which Madrid should win with ease, although they should bear in mind that Granada's positive season has mainly been built on their solid away form.