Primera Liga matches, December 20-21
A Real Madrid side battered and bruised from a King's Cup workover from Leganes will have to raise themselves for one final effort in 2003 when they fly in to face Real Mallorca on Sunday.
A Real Madrid side battered and bruised from a King's Cup workover from Leganes will have to raise themselves for one final effort in 2003 when they fly in to face Real Mallorca on Sunday.
Real averted what would have been an embarrassing second-round defeat against Leganes on Thursday when Santiago Solari struck with a deflected goal in the 88th minute to level the scores at 3-3, with Raul clinching a 4-3 win in extra-time.
It was a far tougher game than coach Carlos Queiroz might have expected and he will be sweating on the fitness of midfielder David Beckham and defender Michel Salgado, who both suffered painful bruising in the match.
Real have moved two points clear at the top of the Primera Liga after winning their last three league games but they will be wary of a Mallorca side stung by failure in the Cup on Wednesday.
Mallorca, Cup winners last season, lost their grip on the trophy with a 2-0 defeat by Levante and they will be anxious to atone for that disappointment in their final match of the year.
Real will at least be well aware of the threat of Mallorca, who beat them 5-1 when the two sides met at the Bernabeu last season and racked up another win in the opening leg of this year's Super Cup, although Real went on to take the tie 4-2.
If Real do beat Mallorca on Sunday they will go into the two-week holiday break on top of the Spanish league table and Queiroz is urging his side to raise their game once again.
"We let the tempo slip against Leganes when we were ahead but that's because it was our eighth game in 25 days," Queiroz said.
"The game against Mallorca will make it nine in 28 days and it's a very important one for us."
Other matches being played in the Primera Liga this weekend:
Saturday:
ATLETICO MADRID vs. RACING SANTANDER
Atletico claimed a narrow Cup win over Cultural Leonesa in midweek and their fans were celebrating again when star forward Fernando Torres signed a new long-term contract.
Racing went out of the Cup in midweek to second division Eibar but at least had some good news off the field, as they had the point they lost for fielding an ineligible player against Osasuna returned to them -- at least while Spain's Football Federation consider an appeal.
REAL SOCIEDAD vs. VALLADOLID
Sociedad may be in the second round of the Champions League but they slipped out of the King's Cup in midweek and are in deep relegation trouble following a 2-0 defeat at Villarreal.
The Basque club will perhaps be cheered by the memory of a 6-0 win over Valladolid just before the holiday break two years ago when they were in exactly the same position in the table.
VALENCIA vs. SEVILLA
Valencia kept up the heat on Real Madrid with last week's narrow victory over Real Betis and a win against another side from Seville would take them back top for at least 24 hours.
The task for the home side will be to find a way past Sevilla keeper Esteban, who pulled off a string of near miraculous saves in the team's Cup win at Lanzarote on Wednesday.
Sunday:
ALBACETE vs. ATHLETIC BILBAO
Albacete have climbed clear of the relegation zone with a run of three wins and a draw and another good result against in-form Bilbao would start to convince them that they could avoid the drop.
Bilbao should have Luis Prieto and Jose Mari Lacruz back in their defence but Asier del Horno is suspended after getting sent off against Sevilla last weekend.
BARCELONA vs. CELTA VIGO
Barcelona's 3-1 win over Espanyol last week provided a lifeline for coach Frank Rijkaard but the team will be without Philip Cocu, Ricardo Quaresma and Rafael Marquez after all three were sent off.
With Quaresma ruled out and Luis Garcia out of form, Marc Overmars is almost certain to be back in the starting line-up after he come off the bench to help Barca to a 4-0 Cup win over Ciudad de Murcia on Wednesday.
DEPORTIVO CORUNA vs. ESPANYOL
Deportivo were unlucky to go down 2-1 at Real Madrid last week and they will feel confident that a performance anything like as good will give them victory over struggling Espanyol.
The visitors, already looking relegation certainties, will be heavily affected by suspensions, after Ivan de la Pena, Toni Soldevilla and Albert Lopo were all sent off in last week's dreadful 3-1 defeat at home to Barcelona.
MURCIA vs. MALAGA
Murcia haven't won in 10 leagues games dating back to October 5 but they will feel they have a chance to set that record straight against Malaga, who have lost their last two away from home.
OSASUNA vs. REAL ZARAGOZA
Osasuna are still hoping to be awarded all three points from last week's goalless draw against Racing Santander, after their opponents fielded an ineligible player for a couple of minutes.
They should be able to claim three points in more orthodox fashion from this clash with unconvincing Zaragoza, who haven't won in the league in a month.
REAL BETIS vs. VILLARREAL
Betis will hope to have Brazilian winger Denilson back after a series of injuries, as they look to halt a worrying slide down the league. Villarreal should also be strengthened by the return of Argentina's Fabricio Coloccini to their defence.