Barca fighting jet-lag
League leaders Barcelona sparked talk of a treble playing some of the best football in Europe before the international break, but this weekend Valladolid will be primed to take advantage of their jet-lagged players.
Barca have lost three out of the four matches played after internationals so far this season and Valladolid have had two weeks to prepare for the game.
Real, meanwhile, will look to keep the pressure on against Malaga, who were beaten 6-0 by Barcelona in their last match.
Youth product Dani Parejo, who is being gradually brought into the first-team frame by coach Juande Ramos and will be fighting for a midfield place, has not given up on winning the league.
Sevilla, who face Recreativo Huelva, are sitting comfortably in third but coach Manolo Jimenez still has Real Madrid in his sights: "I am confident we can improve on where we are at the moment and I would not sign now to finish where we are."
Fourth-placed Villarreal are themselves well situated for Champions League qualification.
They have a five-point cushion following the inconsistent form of their main challengers Atletico Madrid and Valencia, whose best chance of European football now appear to be through the UEFA Cup.
Villarreal face a tricky away match against Almeria, while Atletico and Valencia take on Osasuna and Getafe respectively.
The battle for the UEFA Cup berths is intense though, with Deportivo la Coruna and Malaga also level with Atletico and Valencia on 43 points.
Depor, looking to return to the elite of the game after several years of mediocrity, travel to bottom-placed Espanyol, whose future looks more bleak by the week as they are now eight points from safety.
Numancia, also in trouble, face a vital game against Real Betis who are on the verge of the relegation zone after drawing their last four matches.
Athletic Bilbao have one point more than Betis but they too face a difficult game against in-form Mallorca.
The battle against the drop is very much open and even mid-table Racing Santander and Sporting Gijon, who meet this weekend, are just four points above the relegation zone.
Fixtures
(1800GMT unless otherwise stated)
Saturday
Recreativo v Sevilla, Valladolid v Barcelona, Almeria v Villarreal, Real Betis v Numancia, Athletic Bilbao v Mallorca, Malaga v Real Madrid (2000GMT)
Sunday
Espanyol v Deportivo La Coruna (1500GMT), Atletico Madrid v Osasuna (1500GMT), Valencia v Getafe (1700GMT), Sporting Gijon v Racing Santander (1900GMT)
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