#2 They are unbeaten against the 'top six'
In 22 games so far, Real Madrid have played Barcelona, Valencia, Athletic Bilbao and Getafe once, and Sevilla and Atletico Madrid twice.
In each of those games, they came through unscathed and managed to churn out at least a point. In fact, Real's only defeat in the league so far came shockingly to 17th-placed Mallorca, who stunned the visitors with a 1-0 win.
In total, the Whites have accrued 16 points from a possible 24 against the current 'top six' in the division. That's not a seismic number, but nevertheless a massive upturn from the meager nine they accrued last year at the same stage.
The disappointing results of last season in Seville, Barcelona and Getafe were banished with encouraging results this time around. The best return amongst them has to be the El Clasico stalemate, as Blancos drove their eternal rivals to a blank for the first time since 2017.
They still have to face almost all of these sides for the return leg, including the daunting trips to Bilbao and Seville, but the recent record tilts the balance in Real Madrid's favour.