In light of Barcelona's defensive flop and the poor performance of Gerard Pique, French Clement Langlet and Samuel Umtiti, his traditional rival's defense offers Real Madrid an exceptional season that led him to the top of the League table for the first time in a long time.
After years of troubles, the 13-time European champions' defense has become a respectable one, receiving only 13 goals in the league this season, the best in Europe's top five. As for the Blaugrana defense, it is considered among the worst in La Liga and Europe by receiving 26 goals.
The children of Zinedine Zidane kept their nets clean in 11 league games after 22 rounds of this season, leading by 13 points over Atletico Madrid, who are suffering from the worst period since coach Diego Simeone took over in 2011.
The royal - who ended last season with a difference of 19 points from champion Barca - became a real competitor for the title, as the riyal currently leads the standings with 49 points, three points ahead of Barca.