Real Madrid face Elche as fixture congestion takes toll on rivals

MADRID : Real Madrid have survived unscathed from a brutal schedule of fixtures and travel as their rivals stumbled and will look to consolidate their dominance at the top of LaLiga with victory over Elche on Sunday.

Real returned from Saudi Arabia as Spanish Super Cup champions after beating Athletic Bilbao 2-0 in the final on Sunday and rivals Barcelona in the last four.

They then reached the Copa del Rey quarter-finals after fighting back from going a goal down in extra-time to beat 10-man to beat Elche 2-1 on Thursday.

They will face the same opponents on Sunday in the league, their fourth game in eleven days, as they look to extend their lead at the top of the table.

"What do you want me to say? There is a calendar which is absolute nonsense," coach Carlo Ancelotti told reporters in Elche on Thursday.

Second-placed Sevilla, who trail Madrid by four points, had a game in hand but wasted a golden opportunity to close in on the leaders as they were held to a 1-1 draw at Valencia on Wednesday in a match they dominated.

They moved on to 45 points from 21 games, eight ahead of their bitter local rivals Real Betis in third, who knocked them out of the Copa del Rey with a 2-1 win last weekend.

Sevilla will host Celta Vigo on Saturday as they try to stay in the hunt for the title.

While the trip to Saudi Arabia failed to knock Real Madrid off their stride, the Super Cup's losing semi-finalists Barcelona and Atletico Madrid both suffered Copa del Rey defeats on their return.

LaLiga champions Atletico are in a slump and pressure is mounting on their manager Diego Simeone after two disappointing losses in less than a week.

They fell 2-1 to Athletic Bilbao in Saudi Arabia and on Wednesday they were outplayed by Real Sociedad, losing