Primera Liga matches, Jan 8-9
Atletico Madrid hope to provide their long-suffering fans with something to celebrate when they face city rivals Real Madrid at the Calderon on Sunday (kickoff 1800 GMT).
Atletico Madrid hope to provide their long-suffering fans with something to celebrate when they face city rivals Real Madrid at the Calderon on Sunday (kickoff 1800 GMT).
Real are on a high after grabbing a victory in the remaining seven minutes of their held over match against Real Sociedad on Wednesday, providing new coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo with the perfect start.
Atletico have only beaten Real twice in the last 12 years in the league but believe that they have the ideal opportunity to beat their illustrious rivals.
"The players and fans have been waiting a long time to break our poor run against Real and I believe our time has come," Atletico striker Fernando Torres said.
"I really think we are going to win on Sunday and if we don't it won't be for lack of trying."
Torres, who has never scored a league goal against Real, has made a lightning recovery after fracturing a rib in Atletico's 1-0 defeat at Betis in the final match of last year.
Atletico should be boosted by the signing of Denmark winger Jesper Gronkjaer who is set to make his debut.
Although they have not lost at the Calderon this season, Atletico have been overly dependent on Torres and coach Cesar Ferrando is hoping the former Chelsea player can give his side more attacking options.
Real showed a new determination and verve against Sociedad, but the game against Atletico should provide a more realistic gauge of their form.
Defenders Michel Salgado and Walter Samuel are suspended and will be replaced by youngsters Alvaro Arbeloa and Francisco Pavon, while Michael Owen is likely to start on the bench again as Luxemburgo keeps faith with Ronaldo and Raul in attack.
Other matches being played this weekend (league positions in brackets, kickoff times 1600 GMT unless stated): Saturday:
NUMANCIA (20) v ATHLETIC BILBAO (9) 1900
Basement side Numancia will have their work cut out against the Basques, who are on a three-match winning streak and notched an impressive 4-0 win over Mallorca just before the Christmas break.
SEVILLA (4) v GETAFE (15) 1900
Sevilla have only dropped two points at home this season and buoyed by their 1-0 win over Real Madrid at the Bernabeu last time out should prove too powerful for opponents who have yet to record an away victory.
VALENCIA (2) v LEVANTE (14) 2100
The Valencia-based sides meet in the league for the first time in 40 years in what promises to be an intense derby atmosphere at the Mestalla.
Claudio Ranieri's Valencia have climbed to second in the table on the back of a seven-match unbeaten run but will be without winger Vicente who underwent ankle surgery this week.
Sunday:
ESPANYOL (5) v OSASUNA (7)
Espanyol will be without inspirational striker Raul Tamudo and midfielder Oscar Serrano who were sent off during the 3-0 defeat by Valencia.
They face a difficult test against improving Osasuna who should have striker Savo Milosevic back after injury.
RACING SANTANDER (17) v MALAGA (18)
A tight contest in prospect between two struggling teams.
Racing have not won in seven outings while Malaga coach Gregorio Manzano is under heavy pressure with his side winning just one of their last 11 games.
REAL MALLORCA (19) v DEPORTIVO CORUNA (13)
Depor are a shadow of the team who claimed a top-three finish in each of the last five seasons and have not won in five games.
Mallorca are in even deeper trouble, but have strengthened their squad with the signings of Japan striker Yoshito Okubo and Uruguayan midfielder Gonzalo de los Santos.
REAL SOCIEDAD (11) v ALBACETE (16)
Sociedad's recent revival ended with defeat by Real in their controversial held over match at the Bernabeu on Wednesday and they need to be on their guard against under-rated Albacete who have spiced up their attack with Uruguayan Nico Olivera.
REAL ZARAGOZA (12) v REAL BETIS (6)
An intriguing clash in prospect between two of the league's most entertaining sides.
Zaragoza ended a mid-season dip with a breathless 3-2 win over Depor. Betis will look to Brazilian striker Ricardo Oliveira to add to his tally of nine goals this season.
VILLARREAL (10) v BARCELONA (1) 2000
A tricky start to the year for Barcelona who will face a string of former players against a well drilled and compact Villarreal side.
Playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme, defender Juan Pablo Sorin and goalkeeper Pepe Reina all played at the Nou Camp and will be especially motivated for this encounter.
Barca will be without suspended full backs Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Juliano Belletti, but French playmaker Ludovic Giuly is back fit after a groin injury. Villarreal have several doubts after a flu bug hit the squad.