Primera Liga matches, January 15-16
Barcelona are out to prove that last weekend's 3-0 defeat at Villarreal was a mere hiccup and not the beginning of a serious slide in form when they host Real Sociedad at the Nou Camp on Sunday (kickoff 1800 GMT).
Barcelona are out to prove that last weekend's 3-0 defeat at Villarreal was a mere hiccup and not the beginning of a serious slide in form when they host Real Sociedad at the Nou Camp on Sunday (kickoff 1800 GMT).
"We lacked our usual spark and didn't pressure Villarreal like we have done in previous matches, but I think that we will be back to normal against Real Sociedad," said Mexican defender Rafael Marquez.
Barca's second defeat of the season allowed both Real Madrid and Valencia to close to within seven points of the leaders with one game to go before the halfway mark in the title race.
Marquez believes, however, that the Catalans should not be looking over their shoulders at this stage of the season.
"Madrid don't scare us," he said. "We have a seven-point advantage and we will be working hard to maintain that. If we have the right mental approach it is unlikely that anyone will be able to catch us."
Barcelona will be boosted by the return of fullbacks Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Juliano Belletti from suspension, while Ronaldinho has shaken off a minor back strain and will be ready to play.
Sociedad have made a poor start to the year, losing to Real Madrid in the remaining seven minutes of their held-over game last week and then going down 2-0 at home to Albacete on Sunday.
Skipper Aitor Lopez-Rekarte says his team are anxious to get back on track with a winning performance against Barca.
"We need to make up for the way we have begun the year and we will be working hard to ensure that everyone sees a different Real (Sociedad) on Sunday," he said.
Other matches this weekend (league positions in brackets, kickoff times 1600 GMT unless stated):
Saturday:
GETAFE (15) v ATLETICO MADRID (11) 1900
Atletico slipped to an undeserved 3-0 defeat at home to city rivals Real last week and they face another tough derby against gritty Getafe.
Influential central defender Pablo Ibanez will miss out through suspension, but the arrival of Danish winger Jesper Gronkjaer has added some much-needed spark to the Atletico attack.
MALAGA (18) v SEVILLA (5) 2100
A 2-1 loss away to Racing Santander - Malaga's eighth defeat in nine games - prompted the club to sack coach Gregorio Manzano at the start of the week and his successor Antonio Tapia now faces a daunting debut against fellow Andalucians Sevilla who are undefeated in five.
Sunday:
ALBACETE (16) v RACING SANTANDER (17)
An intriguing match in prospect between two sides battling to stay clear of the relegation zone. Both teams notched up much-needed victories last week and a tight contest is guaranteed.
ATHLETIC BILBAO (9) v ESPANYOL (4)
Espanyol continued their dream start to the season with a 4-1 thrashing of Osasuna last week, but the Catalans will have to make do without skipper Raul Tamudo and highly rated midfielder Oscar Serrano who are both suspended.
Bilbao lost 2-1 at third division Lanzarote in the Cup in midweek but have a very good home record this season.
DEPORTIVO CORUNA (12) v NUMANCIA (20)
Depor have gone six games without a win but they will be strong favourites to notch up three points against basement club Numancia who have lost all nine of their away games.
The Galicians will be missing midfielder Mauro Silva who is out with a groin strain.
LEVANTE (14) v VILLARREAL (8)
Argentine playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme gave a masterful performance as he directed Villarreal to their 3-0 victory over Barcelona last week and his team should be capable of getting the better of an out-of-sorts Levante who have not managed a win in their last eight games.
Levante's former Leeds United defender Ian Harte will be out for six weeks after deciding to undergo surgery to deal with a groin injury.
OSASUNA (7) v VALENCIA (3)
Right back Curro Torres is out for 10 weeks after knee surgery, but the good news for Valencia is that Argentine centre-back Roberto Ayala, the key player in last season's championship-winning side, is set to make his first appearance of the season after recovering from a knee operation.
Osasuna bounced back from their heavy defeat at Espanyol with a 2-0 win over Getafe in the Cup and the Navarrans are a very difficult side to beat on their home ground.
REAL BETIS (6) v REAL MALLORCA (19)
Struggling Mallorca have recruited their fourth mid-season reinforcement in the shape of Juventus defender Mark Iuliano, but Japanese striker Yoshito Okubo, who made an impressive goal-scoring debut in last week's 2-2 draw against Deportivo, is out injured.
The islanders have won on their last two visits to Betis.
REAL MADRID (2) v REAL ZARAGOZA (10) 2000
Attention at Real has been focused on off-the-pitch matters this week with the departure of striker Fernando Morientes to Liverpool and the club's interest in Everton's Danish midfielder Thomas Gravesen, but spirits are high after their 3-0 win over city rivals Atletico Madrid.
Strikers Raul and Ronaldo and centre-back Ivan Helguera are all doubtful because of minor injuries, as is midfielder Guti who has been suffering from a bout of 'flu.