Real Madrid dropped two points at home with a 0-0 draw against Real Sociedad on Sunday. The draw gifted Barcelona a five-point lead over Los Blancos in La Liga title race.
But according to Carlo Ancelotti, the title race is still wide open regardless of the gap.
"If we get a win on Thursday, we will have picked up more points than we did last year," Ancelotti explained after the game.
"Barcelona are doing very well, but it's a long season. It's been a tough January, but the team has improved a lot in all areas: in attack, defence, the physical side.
"The team is improving and we've got some injured players coming back this week. We're confident about the coming months," the gaffer added.
Real Madrid will welcome Valencia to the Santiago Bernabeu for their first game of February. It's a game Los Blancos have to win if they're serious about defending their title this year.
