Barcelona seeks to put pressure on Real

Barcelona takes on Recreativo Huelva this weekend with a chance to put pressure on league leader Real Madrid and prove to doubters that it is not all doom and gloom at the Nou Camp this season.

Barca is just four points behind Real after 12 rounds of matches, which is an impressive achievement if all the problems that the Catalan giants are supposedly suffering from this season were true.

Frank Rijkaard, Thierry Henry and Ronaldinho are among those at Barca who have come under the media spotlight so far this season, while the team's dire away form was the big topic of conversation prior to the international break.

Now, this week's comments by midfielder Edmilson about "black sheep" in the squad has put Barca back into the news for the wrong reasons.

"In the world there are a lot of good people and a lot of bad," the Brazilian said on TV3. "In our changing room there are good people, but others who appear not to want anything. Inside our group of players and coaches we form a family. And many times in a family you have a black sheep."

"The world in which footballers live is a little different, and because of the money, the success, the fame, the women and getting things easy, it sometimes means that true values are lost. Sometimes players give their profession secondary importance. Players think 'I am going to train quickly because I have a meeting or I have to travel to do some publicity'."

Edmilson's comments are bound to have caused a stir in the Barca changing room - fellow midfielder Xavi has already said he will seek an explanation from the Brazilian - but the players will have a chance to prove themselves against Recre this weekend.

In contrast to away form which has seen Rijkaard's men win just once in six league matches, Barca has won all six of its fixtures at the Nou Camp so far and should be confident of seeing off struggling Recre.

A victory for Barca would lift it to within a point of Real, at least provisionally with the Spanish champions playing Real Murcia later on Saturday.

With 28 points from 12 matches, Real has enjoyed the best start to a campaign since three-point victories were introduced by the Spanish FA in the 1995/96 season.

Real will fancy its chances of improving that record when it travels to a Murcia side which has failed to win in four matches, but forward Gonzalo Higuain is preaching caution against the promoted side.

"Every game against a small or recently promoted side is hard, our match against Almeria (3-1 win) proves it," Higuain said.

"We have to think the fixture against Murcia will be difficult and that we will have to fight hard to take three points."

Second-placed Villarreal will also be confident of a three-point haul this weekend when it hosts Almeria, while fourth-placed Valencia faces a much trickier trip to in-form Racing Santander.

The Vicente Calderon stadium will be expecting more fireworks this weekend when sixth-placed Atletico Madrid hosts Real Valladolid.

The last three matches at the ground have produced 18 goals, with Atletico winning 4-0 and 4-3 against Real Zaragoza and Sevilla respectively, while also losing 4-3 against Villarreal.

Sevilla warms up for next week's visit of Arsenal in the Champions League with a home clash against Real Mallorca, while city rival Real Betis travels to Levante in a battle between the bottom two sides in La Liga.

This weekend's other fixtures pit Athletic Bilbao against Deportivo La Coruna, Osasuna at home to Espanyol and Real Zaragoza versus Getafe.