Real Madrid crowned winter champions with a game in hand

Have won 23 titles after 35 times as winter champions

Posted Sunday, January 22, 2017 by Marca.com

Real Madrid didn't even need to play their 19th LaLiga fixture of the season to secure their "winter champions" position, their 2-1 victory over Malaga giving them a four-point lead over second-placed Sevilla, who play Sunday morning.

Zinedine Zidane's men began the league season with four wins on the trot, but a trio of draws began to set off some alarm bells in Chamartin. However, an eight-match domestic winning streak and a draw at the Camp Nou set up a nice lead atop the table, that was trimmed by three points as a result of last week's defeat away at Sevilla.

The victory over Malaga gives Los Blancos a haul of 43 points, with Sevilla sitting at 39 and Barcelona 38. Both sides play their 19th fixture of the season Sunday, but Madrid are guaranteed to remain atop the tree despite having played a game less. The game in hand, a fixture away at Valencia, was postponed due to the capital club's participation in the FIFA Club World Cup.

There's cause for caution however - the last time Madrid led after the first cycle of fixtures was during the 2014/15 season under Carlo Ancelotti, when the team went from a record run to completely falling apart and handing the title to Barcelona.

However, Los Blancos' most recent league crown, which came in 2011-12 with Jose Mourinho on the bench, was also preceded by first-round leadership.