Real Madrid faces Valencia in a difficult match to recover the top. Barcelona visits Pamplona to prolong its leadership.
The second third of La Liga starts this Saturday with three important games. Atletico visits Levante early on Saturday before Liga's new leader Barcelona visits Osasuna.
Newly promoted Real Sociedad and Athletic Club will be playing one of the most expected matches of the weeks, Bilbao's derby. Fernando Llorente will be leading Athletic's attack against one of the main revelations of the tournament.
Two candidates for the top fight, Sevilla and Villarreal take on each other on Sunday to see who's the fittest to defy Pep Guardiola's leadership.
Midweek's defeat for the Europa League left reigning champion Atletico in a highly compromised situation to qualify for the next stage. Levante, on the other hand, stands only one point above the relegation line and the three points are mandatory to lift the spirit of the players.
Luis Garcia squad is absolutely dismantled by injuries: Vicente Iborra, Miguel Pérez, Xisco Muñoz, Héctor Rodas, Ignacio González and Valdimiro Lopes are all ruled out from the game while Christian Stuani and Felipe Caicedo are physically compromised and might not be fully fit to perform.
But not everything is a nightmare for Levante. Asier del Horno might return to the starting squad after three weeks if he recovers fully from an ankle injury, and his presence might be decisive to deal with Atletico's attackers.
Quique Sanchez Flores' Lions have lost all confidence in the last two games at the Vicente Calderon "We thought we'd win but we failed to do things as we should. We've made many mistakes, I made the first one, but from now on we must recover our pace and never sit down" said Atletico coach.
Sergio Aguero and Diego Forlan will be once again leading Colchoneros' attack. Their partnership has not been as strong as it used to be before during this season and neither Jose Reyes nor Simao have been able to take the lead on their own.
Is Levante ready to celebrate a massive victory over the European champion?
Jose Antonio Camacho's Osasuna host Liga leader Barcelona on Saturday night. Last week's sound victory 5-0 against Real Madrid boosted the morale of Pep Guardiola's squad to the sky, while Osasuna must recover from last week's defeat in Bilbao.
Camacho's Rojillos have won the last three consecutive matches at the Reyno de Navarra. Barcelona only knows victory outside the Camp Nou and the echoes of their last visit to Almeria (8-0) are still sounding loud.
Barcelona's striker Pedro (who's scored in the last three consecutive games) will be joining Lio Messi and David Villa on the attack. Osasuna recovers one of its fittest strikers (Walter Pandiani) but misses winger Damia, who won't be able to play against his former team.
"It's impossible to repeat what happened last week at the Camp Nou" said Barcelona's head coach Pep Guardiola. Nevertheless Cule's followers are expecting another display of excellent football in Pamplona. Will they secure the top for another week?
The hottest match of the week features Jose Mourinho's Merengues against Unai Emery's Valencia in a game that might shake the very foundations of the positions table.
Gonzalo Higuain's injury might be more troublesome than early expected, for what Karim Benzema will have another shot in the starting squad.
Real Madrid's defense will suffer important absences: Sergio Ramos, sent off during El Clasico and Ricardo Carvalho won't be able to perform.
Valencia relies heavily on the expertise of its strikers Roberto Soldado and Aritz Aduriz, with Juan Mata and Joaquin (both former Real Madrid players) leading the advance from the wings.
Unai Emery will have to do without David Navarro and Vicente, but Valencia has already shown strong credentials to be taken as a serious candidate for the title.
A decisive six-pointer for the top fight, who'll claim it?
Two squads highly compromised with the relegation fight take on each other this Sunday to feed on each other's misery. Racing looks forward to celebrate its first victory away in the season while Malaga's new coach Manuel Pellegrini struggles to put Boquerones' wheels back in motion.
Engineer Pellegrini will have to do without Apoño and Patrick Mtiliga, ruled out for injuries, but recovers Jesús Gámez and Sandro Silva. "We must continue improving our football and grow stronger both physically and mentally" said Pellegrini.
Miguel Angel Lotina's Racing obtained an important victory last week over Deportivo thanks to Sweden international Markus Rosenberg. His partnership with young Ivan Bolado and Ariel Nahuelpan was decisive for such victory. Lotina is expected to repeat the same formation for this week's clash.
A victory might leave Malaga only one point below the relegation line,will they succeed?
Mauricio Pochettino's Espanyol host Sporting this Sunday looking forward to maintain its perfect record at the Cornella-El-Prat. Manolo Preciado's Sporting have lost the last three matches and are joined with Malaga in the 18th position with 10 points.
Sporting has not celebrated a single victory playing away. Manolo Preciado will have to do without Sporting goalkeeper Ivan Cuellar as well as Mate Bilic and Diego Castro.
Young Sergio Alvarez is likely to be given a shot among the starting eleven, as his performance during the last matches has been far above the expectations.
Espanyol will have to do without winger Javi Lopez for the rest of the years as he struggles with a major injury on his right leg. Jose Callejon and Luis Garcia will be responsible for feeding Argentinean striker Pablo Osvaldowith enough scoring opportunities to secure the game.
A victory might allow Espanyol to leapfrog Villarreal and claim the third position, while Sporting can fall to the last position in the worst possible scenario.
A real six-pointer for the bottom fight, a victory might not be enough for Almeria or Zaragoza to abandon the basement but it will most surely set a precedent for the matches to come.
Both sides have new coaches but neither Javier Aguirre nor Jose Luis Oltra have yet been able to find the answer to their respective team's problems.
Almeria might be missing Albert Crusat and Santi Acasiete for injuries while Juanma Ortiz will be banned from performing. Oltra recovers Fabián Vargas and his presence will be decisive to cope with so many absentees on the squad, as Michel, Miguel Ángel Nieto and Hernán Pellerano are ruled out for injuries.
Zaragoza coach will have to do without Sinama-Pongolle, Ander Herrera and Matteo Contini. Team's winger Angel Lafita tried to cool down the expectations of Blancos' followers. "This is not a final, it's nothing more than an excellent opportunity to make up for the lost time" he said.
Two teams in the same situation will take on each other. A draw won't help any of them, who'll take the three points?
Last week's victory helped Michael Laudrup's Mallorca leapfrog Sevilla and Atletico and claim the last Europa League qualifying place, occupying the 6th position with 21 points.
Getafe, on the other hand, has not yet been able to join the upper half of the positions table but a victory might leave them at the doorsteps of the top five. A victory is mandatory for the Azulones to overcome the early Europa League elimination.
Michael Laudrup will be missing Tomás Pina and Sergio Tejera on its visit to the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez on Sunday evening.
Getafe midfielder Victor recognized "Mallorca is a strong rival, but if we recover our former level, if we're convinced the victory is possible, I'm sure the game will be ours".
Michell will have to do without Javier Casquero, Javier Arizmendi and Mario Álvarez, all of them struggling with injuries. A decisive match for both sides, who'll claim the three points?
Juan Carlos Garrido's Submarines receive Gregorio Manzano's Sevilla in one of the most important matches of the week. Villarreal has shown strong credentials to become the favorite alternative to Barcelona and Real Madrid's leadership, occupying the 3rd position with 27 points.
Midweek's sound victory 3-0 over Dinamo Zagreb for the Europa League provided Villarreal's players a major boost to their morale. Italian international Giuseppe Rossi was the star of the match, in which Borja Valero returned to the starting squad with great success.
Gregorio Manzano's Sevilla, on the other hand, suffered a major defeat against PSG and were left on the brink of European elimination, forced to obtain a victory in the next game to claim a ticket for the next stage. Things are going much better in La Liga, as Sevilla occupies the 8th position and might not be prepared for the busy schedule waiting ahead.
The visitors will have to do without Jesús Navas and Luis Fabiano as well as goalkeeper Cesar Sanchez. To make things even worse, substitute goalkeeper Javi Varas is struggling with a minor injury but might not be fully fit to perform.
Two giants meet each other at the Madrigal. Who'll claim the full scoring?
Bilbao's derby features newly promoted Real Sociedad and Athletic in the Primera Division for the first time in over three years. Joaquin Caparros' Lions visit Anoeta in great need of the three points to recover their place in the European fight. Athletic and Martin Lasarte's Errealas share the 9th position with 19 points each.
Athletic coach is likely to opt for Iker Muniain to join Fernando Llorente in the attack. Lions' winger Igor Gabilondo might not be physically fit to perform, making room for David Lopez to lead the advance from the wings.
Real Sociedad's coach will have to do without Raul Tamudo and Paco Sutil. Joseba Llorente's excellent form might provide Real Sociedad the needed edge to defeat Athletic and claim three decisive points.
Much more than three points are in play on Sunday's late game. Will Lasarte's boys have what it takes to claim the full scoring?
Monday's game will be decisive for the bottom fight, as Deportivo and Hercules stand only four and five points above the relegation line respectively. Miguel Angel Lotina will have to do without Ivan Sanchez, Juliano Antonello, Andres Guardado and Michel, while Hercules' coach Esteban Vigo is likely to be able to play with both David Trezeguet and Paraguayan international Nelson Haedo Valdez.
Last week's victory 3-1 against Levante provided a major boost to Hercules' morale. Another victory might take Vigo's boys to the 11th position and open a safe buffer zone from the relegation line. The hosts went through a nightmare during the first 8 matches of the season but have made up for the lost time with three victories in the last five matches. A victory is mandatory to lift the spirit of Lotina's Turcos.
"It's been six weeks since we were lastly defeated. Last week things didn't work out as expected but now we must focus on Monday's match and improve our playing. We must leave it behind and defeat Hercules at home, doing things as best as we could to keep our wheels in motion" said Deportivo striker Adrian Lopez. Deportivo misses Paraguayan winger Claudio Morel, as he travelled to South America to attend to a personal matter.
Lotina might choose to leave Pablo Álvarez and Yves Desmarets on the bench after their disappointing performance in Santander last week. Deportivo's 5-3-2 formation has been decisive for Montañeses' awakening, will they be able to stand against the overwhelming firepower of Esteban Vigo's Blanquiazules?
Newly promoted Real Sociedad and Athletic Club will be playing one of the most expected matches of the weeks, Bilbao's derby. Fernando Llorente will be leading Athletic's attack against one of the main revelations of the tournament.
Two candidates for the top fight, Sevilla and Villarreal take on each other on Sunday to see who's the fittest to defy Pep Guardiola's leadership.
Midweek's defeat for the Europa League left reigning champion Atletico in a highly compromised situation to qualify for the next stage. Levante, on the other hand, stands only one point above the relegation line and the three points are mandatory to lift the spirit of the players.
Luis Garcia squad is absolutely dismantled by injuries: Vicente Iborra, Miguel Pérez, Xisco Muñoz, Héctor Rodas, Ignacio González and Valdimiro Lopes are all ruled out from the game while Christian Stuani and Felipe Caicedo are physically compromised and might not be fully fit to perform.
But not everything is a nightmare for Levante. Asier del Horno might return to the starting squad after three weeks if he recovers fully from an ankle injury, and his presence might be decisive to deal with Atletico's attackers.
Quique Sanchez Flores' Lions have lost all confidence in the last two games at the Vicente Calderon "We thought we'd win but we failed to do things as we should. We've made many mistakes, I made the first one, but from now on we must recover our pace and never sit down" said Atletico coach.
Sergio Aguero and Diego Forlan will be once again leading Colchoneros' attack. Their partnership has not been as strong as it used to be before during this season and neither Jose Reyes nor Simao have been able to take the lead on their own.
Is Levante ready to celebrate a massive victory over the European champion?
Jose Antonio Camacho's Osasuna host Liga leader Barcelona on Saturday night. Last week's sound victory 5-0 against Real Madrid boosted the morale of Pep Guardiola's squad to the sky, while Osasuna must recover from last week's defeat in Bilbao.
Camacho's Rojillos have won the last three consecutive matches at the Reyno de Navarra. Barcelona only knows victory outside the Camp Nou and the echoes of their last visit to Almeria (8-0) are still sounding loud.
Barcelona's striker Pedro (who's scored in the last three consecutive games) will be joining Lio Messi and David Villa on the attack. Osasuna recovers one of its fittest strikers (Walter Pandiani) but misses winger Damia, who won't be able to play against his former team.
"It's impossible to repeat what happened last week at the Camp Nou" said Barcelona's head coach Pep Guardiola. Nevertheless Cule's followers are expecting another display of excellent football in Pamplona. Will they secure the top for another week?
The hottest match of the week features Jose Mourinho's Merengues against Unai Emery's Valencia in a game that might shake the very foundations of the positions table.
Gonzalo Higuain's injury might be more troublesome than early expected, for what Karim Benzema will have another shot in the starting squad.
Real Madrid's defense will suffer important absences: Sergio Ramos, sent off during El Clasico and Ricardo Carvalho won't be able to perform.
Valencia relies heavily on the expertise of its strikers Roberto Soldado and Aritz Aduriz, with Juan Mata and Joaquin (both former Real Madrid players) leading the advance from the wings.
Unai Emery will have to do without David Navarro and Vicente, but Valencia has already shown strong credentials to be taken as a serious candidate for the title.
A decisive six-pointer for the top fight, who'll claim it?
Two squads highly compromised with the relegation fight take on each other this Sunday to feed on each other's misery. Racing looks forward to celebrate its first victory away in the season while Malaga's new coach Manuel Pellegrini struggles to put Boquerones' wheels back in motion.
Engineer Pellegrini will have to do without Apoño and Patrick Mtiliga, ruled out for injuries, but recovers Jesús Gámez and Sandro Silva. "We must continue improving our football and grow stronger both physically and mentally" said Pellegrini.
Miguel Angel Lotina's Racing obtained an important victory last week over Deportivo thanks to Sweden international Markus Rosenberg. His partnership with young Ivan Bolado and Ariel Nahuelpan was decisive for such victory. Lotina is expected to repeat the same formation for this week's clash.
A victory might leave Malaga only one point below the relegation line,will they succeed?
Mauricio Pochettino's Espanyol host Sporting this Sunday looking forward to maintain its perfect record at the Cornella-El-Prat. Manolo Preciado's Sporting have lost the last three matches and are joined with Malaga in the 18th position with 10 points.
Sporting has not celebrated a single victory playing away. Manolo Preciado will have to do without Sporting goalkeeper Ivan Cuellar as well as Mate Bilic and Diego Castro.
Young Sergio Alvarez is likely to be given a shot among the starting eleven, as his performance during the last matches has been far above the expectations.
Espanyol will have to do without winger Javi Lopez for the rest of the years as he struggles with a major injury on his right leg. Jose Callejon and Luis Garcia will be responsible for feeding Argentinean striker Pablo Osvaldowith enough scoring opportunities to secure the game.
A victory might allow Espanyol to leapfrog Villarreal and claim the third position, while Sporting can fall to the last position in the worst possible scenario.
A real six-pointer for the bottom fight, a victory might not be enough for Almeria or Zaragoza to abandon the basement but it will most surely set a precedent for the matches to come.
Both sides have new coaches but neither Javier Aguirre nor Jose Luis Oltra have yet been able to find the answer to their respective team's problems.
Almeria might be missing Albert Crusat and Santi Acasiete for injuries while Juanma Ortiz will be banned from performing. Oltra recovers Fabián Vargas and his presence will be decisive to cope with so many absentees on the squad, as Michel, Miguel Ángel Nieto and Hernán Pellerano are ruled out for injuries.
Zaragoza coach will have to do without Sinama-Pongolle, Ander Herrera and Matteo Contini. Team's winger Angel Lafita tried to cool down the expectations of Blancos' followers. "This is not a final, it's nothing more than an excellent opportunity to make up for the lost time" he said.
Two teams in the same situation will take on each other. A draw won't help any of them, who'll take the three points?
Last week's victory helped Michael Laudrup's Mallorca leapfrog Sevilla and Atletico and claim the last Europa League qualifying place, occupying the 6th position with 21 points.
Getafe, on the other hand, has not yet been able to join the upper half of the positions table but a victory might leave them at the doorsteps of the top five. A victory is mandatory for the Azulones to overcome the early Europa League elimination.
Michael Laudrup will be missing Tomás Pina and Sergio Tejera on its visit to the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez on Sunday evening.
Getafe midfielder Victor recognized "Mallorca is a strong rival, but if we recover our former level, if we're convinced the victory is possible, I'm sure the game will be ours".
Michell will have to do without Javier Casquero, Javier Arizmendi and Mario Álvarez, all of them struggling with injuries. A decisive match for both sides, who'll claim the three points?
Juan Carlos Garrido's Submarines receive Gregorio Manzano's Sevilla in one of the most important matches of the week. Villarreal has shown strong credentials to become the favorite alternative to Barcelona and Real Madrid's leadership, occupying the 3rd position with 27 points.
Midweek's sound victory 3-0 over Dinamo Zagreb for the Europa League provided Villarreal's players a major boost to their morale. Italian international Giuseppe Rossi was the star of the match, in which Borja Valero returned to the starting squad with great success.
Gregorio Manzano's Sevilla, on the other hand, suffered a major defeat against PSG and were left on the brink of European elimination, forced to obtain a victory in the next game to claim a ticket for the next stage. Things are going much better in La Liga, as Sevilla occupies the 8th position and might not be prepared for the busy schedule waiting ahead.
The visitors will have to do without Jesús Navas and Luis Fabiano as well as goalkeeper Cesar Sanchez. To make things even worse, substitute goalkeeper Javi Varas is struggling with a minor injury but might not be fully fit to perform.
Two giants meet each other at the Madrigal. Who'll claim the full scoring?
Bilbao's derby features newly promoted Real Sociedad and Athletic in the Primera Division for the first time in over three years. Joaquin Caparros' Lions visit Anoeta in great need of the three points to recover their place in the European fight. Athletic and Martin Lasarte's Errealas share the 9th position with 19 points each.
Athletic coach is likely to opt for Iker Muniain to join Fernando Llorente in the attack. Lions' winger Igor Gabilondo might not be physically fit to perform, making room for David Lopez to lead the advance from the wings.
Real Sociedad's coach will have to do without Raul Tamudo and Paco Sutil. Joseba Llorente's excellent form might provide Real Sociedad the needed edge to defeat Athletic and claim three decisive points.
Much more than three points are in play on Sunday's late game. Will Lasarte's boys have what it takes to claim the full scoring?
Monday's game will be decisive for the bottom fight, as Deportivo and Hercules stand only four and five points above the relegation line respectively. Miguel Angel Lotina will have to do without Ivan Sanchez, Juliano Antonello, Andres Guardado and Michel, while Hercules' coach Esteban Vigo is likely to be able to play with both David Trezeguet and Paraguayan international Nelson Haedo Valdez.
Last week's victory 3-1 against Levante provided a major boost to Hercules' morale. Another victory might take Vigo's boys to the 11th position and open a safe buffer zone from the relegation line. The hosts went through a nightmare during the first 8 matches of the season but have made up for the lost time with three victories in the last five matches. A victory is mandatory to lift the spirit of Lotina's Turcos.
"It's been six weeks since we were lastly defeated. Last week things didn't work out as expected but now we must focus on Monday's match and improve our playing. We must leave it behind and defeat Hercules at home, doing things as best as we could to keep our wheels in motion" said Deportivo striker Adrian Lopez. Deportivo misses Paraguayan winger Claudio Morel, as he travelled to South America to attend to a personal matter.
Lotina might choose to leave Pablo Álvarez and Yves Desmarets on the bench after their disappointing performance in Santander last week. Deportivo's 5-3-2 formation has been decisive for Montañeses' awakening, will they be able to stand against the overwhelming firepower of Esteban Vigo's Blanquiazules?
