A patched-up Real Madrid began a crucial week by beating Eibar 2-0 on Saturday to increase the pressure on Atletico Madrid at the top of La Liga.
With Liverpool to come in the Champions League on Tuesday and a Clasico against Barcelona next weekend, Madrid welcomed a comfortable win thanks to goals from Marco Asensio and Karim Benzema.
Victory means Atletico’s advantage over Zinedine Zidane’s side is reduced to three points before they play away at Sevilla on Sunday night.
Barcelona, who are four points off the top, host Real Valladolid on Monday.
Zidane picked a makeshift starting line-up but not by choice, with Raphael Varane and Toni Kroos both on the bench, the latter after returning early from international duty due to a muscle problem.
Sergio Ramos, Dani Carvajal and Eden Hazard were all injured and left out completely.
None of those three are expected to return against Liverpool at Valdebebas in midweek but a hesitant Eibar performance offered Zidane the chance to take off the likes of Luka Modric, Benzema and Asensio in the second half.
Benzema will be essential to Madrid’s hopes of reaching the semi-finals, and of beating Barcelona too, after the Frenchman made it 11 goals in his last 10 games.
He looked refreshed, with his exclusion from the national team continuing to be of benefit to Real Madrid.
But Asensio was arguably the star of the show, his lively display in the front three likely to earn him a starting spot in the trio of crunch games now to come.
Eibar, who stay 19th, would have suffered a heavier defeat were it not for three goals being chalked off for offside.
Elsewhere, Gerard Moreno scored a hat trick in Villarreal’s 3-0 win at Granada, taking the Spain striker’s tally to 19 goals in the league this campaign.