Dani Alves sends "lucky" message to Real Madrid as they close in on LaLiga title

Dani Alves has told Real Madrid that they are "lucky" to be on the verge of winning the LaLiga title.

The 38-year-old has dismissed Carlo Ancelotti 's side as having any true competition for the Spanish crown, claiming that Barcelona would have pushed Los Blancos further if they got their act together earlier in the season, having humiliated Real 4-0 in the own back yard during a memorable El Clasico meeting last month. Los Blancos sit 15 points clear at the top of the table, though, with five games remaining, putting them on course to confirm their status as champions well before the end of the campaign.

However, rival defender Alves reckons their triumph is a somewhat hollow one, telling Barca TV, via Goal : "They have been lucky that we arrived late. It couldn’t be and now we have to think about the next objective. We would have liked to compete with them in a different way but life is like that. It’s time to think about securing the second place."

Barcelona have been in blistering domestic form since Xavi Hernandez replaced manager Ronald Koeman last November. Losing just one of their past 12 games, Xavi's side have risen into second place and look set to play Champions League football next term. Ahead of Sunday's clash with Rayo Vallecano at the Camp Nou - Alves has admitted their hectic schedule, which included them knocked out of the Europa League to Eintracht Frankfurt eight days ago - has taken its toll.

"Physically we are very good, but we're nearing the end of the season and it costs all of us," the veteran stated. Alves' boss echoed his sentiment following their win against Real Sociedad on Thursday, adding: " [Gerard] Pique, [Ronald] Araujo, Jordi [Alba] with a lot of discomfort, it's a demanding