Real Madrid looks to be crowned league's winter champion

Real Madrid is looking to stay top of the Primera division standings at the halfway mark and become the unofficial winter champion when it visits Real Sociedad in the league's 19th round Saturday.

While Madrid, at 42 points after 18 games, is riding on the back of five straight wins, the match will spotlight how much Sociedad's fortunes have slumped.

Last season, Raynald Denoueix's team became winter champion after going 19 games unbeaten. It eventually finished runner-up, two points behind Madrid.

But this season, Champions League distractions have badly hit its domestic form. Languishing in 17th place, it has managed just four wins.

However, Sociedad's Turkish striker Nihat Kahveci says the team is in better heart after beating Malaga in its opening match of 2004 and ending a winless run of 13 league and cup matches.

"We're happy to have won just when we needed to, in the first game of the year. It was an important step for us," he said.

Sociedad would love to repeat its win over Madrid from April when it won 4-2 at the Anoeta Stadium after scoring four goals before half-time.

It has been boosted by the recovery of three key players. Striker Darko Kovacevic, goalkeeper Sander Westerveld and midfielder Xabi Alonso, who all missed last weekend's win, are all expected to play.

Madrid could be without David Beckham, who gashed an ankle last weekend in the game against Murcia, although FIFA's World Player of the Year, Zinedine Zidane, is expected to play after recovering from flu.

If Madrid doesn't take all three points, Valencia will take over at the top if it wins on its visit to No. 14 Albacete on Saturday.

Valencia has 40 points, two behind Madrid. Deportivo de La Coruna is next with 36, followed by Osasuna and Atletico de Madrid with 28 points apiece.

Like Madrid, Valencia hasn't lost in seven games although on Wednesday it had a disappointing 2-2 home draw with Osasuna in the first leg of the Copa del Rey's third round.

Albacete's hopes of gaining a surprise win over Valencia have been hit by the suspension of leading scorer Carlos Aranda, who has netted five times this season.

Deportivo will be wary when it hosts 10th-place Racing de Santander on Sunday. Santander has won on three of its last four visits to La Coruna.

With just two wins in eight games, FC Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard will crave three points when his 12th-place side hosts No. 15 Zaragoza on Sunday.

Barcelona president Joan Laporta again reaffirmed his faith in the Dutchman this week, despite an embarrassing 3-0 loss at Santander last weekend.

Rijkaard, who hopes the club will make use of the January transfer window, will be without captain Luis Enrique Martinez, who broke a cheekbone this week. Dutch forwards Marc Overmars and Patrick Kluivert are doubtful.

Midfielder Xavi Hernandez said Barcelona needs greater unity on the field if results are to improve.

"We don't know how to react when we concede a goal. I mean react as a team, not just individual players having a go on their own," Xavi said this week.

Zaragoza has only won twice in 50 league visits to Barcelona.

Another coach under fire is Celta de Vigo's Miguel Angel Lotina, who has been unable to prevent his team sliding into the relegation zone.

While Lotina received a vote of confidence from club president Horacio Gomez earlier in the week, he can ill afford a new setback on Saturday when his 18th-place team visits No. 13 Mallorca.

Celta's hopes have been boosted by the suspension of Mallorca striker Samuel Eto'o. The Cameroon international, a reported target of Arsenal and Chelsea, has scored eight league goals this season.

Nigerian international Finidi George, is set to be included in Mallorca's squad for the first time since he returned to the club in November.

Other 19th-round matches this weekend are: Osasuna vs. Sevilla, Atletico de Madrid vs. Athletic Bilbao, Murcia vs. Espanyol, Real Betis vs. Malaga, and Villarreal vs. Valladolid.