Primera Liga matches, March 13-14

After booking their place in the last eight of the Champions League, Real Madrid will be turning their attention to domestic concerns as they host Real Zaragoza on Saturday in a dress rehearsal of next week's final of the King's Cup (kickoff 1830 GMT).

The match at the Bernabeu will go ahead despite the bomb attacks in Madrid that killed close to 200 people on Thursday, but as with the rest of the games in Primera Liga it will be preceded by a minute's silence in memory of the victims.

Real's lead at the top of the table was reduced to six points last week after their 1-1 draw away to Racing Santander, but the champions have been unstoppable in their home stadium this season.

The only blemish on their record was last month's 1-1 draw against Valencia, but the game against Zaragoza is still likely to prove a tricky encounter for Carlos Queiroz's side.

With leading scorer Ronaldo out with a thigh strain and fellow striker Raul struggling with an ankle injury, Queiroz will be forced to rejig his forward line and may have to bring in former youth team centre forward Javier Portillo.

At the back, central defender Alvaro Mejia is suspended after his sending off last week and Francisco Pavon should take his place.

Opponents Zaragoza have experienced a revival under new coach Victor Munoz, winning their last three matches to pull five points clear of the relegation zone.

Putting an end to Real's unbeaten home record would provide them with a major boost ahead of next week's Cup final in Barcelona.

Other Primera Liga matches being played this weekend (league positions in brackets; kick off times 1600 GMT unless stated):

Saturday:

REAL SOCIEDAD (14) v ATLETICO MADRID (6) 2030

Neither side has been in particularly convincing form of late. Atletico huffed and puffed their way to a late 1-1 draw against basement side Murcia last week, while Sociedad, who were knocked out of the Champions League in midweek, have not managed a win in their last five outings.

Sunday:

CELTA VIGO (18) v VALENCIA (2) 2000

Valencia closed the gap on Real to six-points after their emphatic 3-0 win over Deportivo last week and even though they will be without injured playmaker Pablo Aimar they should be able to keep the pressure on the leaders with a win over an out-of-sorts Celta.

The Galicians, who fell victim to Arsenal in the Champions League in midweek, have dropped into the relegation zone after three league defeats in a row. They will be without influential midfielder Peter Luccin and hard-working defender Silvinho.

ESPANYOL (19) RACING SANTANDER (12)

Consecutive wins have given Luis Fernandez's Espanyol renewed hope of avoiding the drop. The Catalans will have a good chance of notching a third in a row when they host a weakened Racing who are without suspended striker Rodolfo Bodipo. They could also be missing in-form forward Javi Guerrero, who is nursing a leg injury.

MALAGA (11) v ATHLETIC BILBAO (5)

Athletic will be aiming to bounce back from their surprise 4-1 defeat at home to Valladolid and maintain their bid for a place in Europe. Inconsistent Malaga also suffered a setback with a 1-0 defeat at Zaragoza.

MURCIA (20) v BARCELONA (4) 1800

Barcelona may have lost to Celtic in the UEFA Cup on Thursday, but they have won seven on the trot at home. John Toshack's relegation-bound side should prove no match for the Catalans, who will be looking to keep the pressure on Deportivo in the race for Champions League places.

REAL BETIS (9) v OSASUNA (7)

Betis's fine run of form came to an end last week when they slipped to a 1-0 defeat away to Albacete, their first loss in 10 games. They face another tough match against Javier Aguirre's Osasuna who despite a mid-season dip are still challenging for a place in Europe.

REAL MALLORCA (17) v DEPORTIVO CORUNA (3)

Depor recovered from their disappointing 3-0 defeat at Valencia last week by claiming their place in the last eight of the Champions League with a 2-0 aggregate win over last season's runners-up Juventus.

Their hopes of the domestic title remain slim but despite the absence of the suspended Mauro Silva they will be favourites to beat the islanders who have not won in six and crashed to a heavy 4-1 defeat against Newcastle United in the UEFA Cup.

VALLADOLID (13) v SEVILLA (8)

Valladolid claimed their first win in six games with a shock 4-1 victory away to Athletic Bilbao last week but they find themselves up against a buoyant Sevilla who have won four out of their last five.

VILLARREAL (10) v ALBACETE (16)

Villarreal produced another impressive display in the UEFA Cup with a convincing 2-0 win over AS Roma on Thursday but their domestic form has been poor of late and they will need to be on their guard against an improving Albacete who have pulled clear of the relegation zone thanks to three straight wins.