La Liga leaders Real Madrid will be looking to put the pressure on title rivals Sevilla in what could be a defining weekend in the Spanish title race.
Real currently hold a four-point advantage at the top of the standings, but they could extend that gap to seven by beating relegation-threatened Alaves at the Bernabeu on Saturday evening.
A victory for Carlo Ancelotti’s side would certainly ramp up the pressure on second-placed Sevilla, who are not in action until Sunday when they will face a testing away clash with Espanyol.
Real to Flex Title Muscles
The league leaders will head into Saturday’s match on the back of a disappointing 1-0 loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Tuesday, a result that means they have only won one of their last five matches across all competitions.
However, Los Blancos do boast an impressive home record, as they are unbeaten in their 12 league matches at the Bernabeu this season, registering eight wins and four draws.
Real will fancy their chances of extending that record when Alaves head to capital, with the visitors currently sitting inside the relegation zone and having won just once on the road all season in La Liga.
Alaves are also the lowest scorers in the division, and with Real having conceded just eight home goals, it would be no surprise to see the hosts claim a victory to zero at odds of 21/20.
Sevilla Face Stern Catalan Test
Sevilla will travel north to Catalonia for Sunday’s clash with Espanyol and they will head into that contest unbeaten in their last 10 La Liga matches since losing to Real in late November.
That is the longest current unbeaten run in La Liga, but the problem for Sevilla has been that they have drawn too many games, with three of their previous four league fixtures ending all square.
There could be more frustration for Julen Lopetegui’s side when they visit the RCDE Stadium, as Espanyol boast a strong home record, with 21 of their 28 points this term having been collected on their own patch.
The draw can be backed at 23/10, and although that would extend Sevilla’s unbeaten run, it could also do irreversible damage to their hopes of being crowned Spanish champions for the first time since 1946.
More Away Frustration for Barca
Barcelona played their first Europa League match in 18 years this midweek and it will be interesting to see how the Blaugrana react to the rigours of Thursday-Sunday football, as they prepare for their away clash with Valencia.
Xavi has certainly made Barca harder to beat since his appointment as head coach in November, but too many draws have hampered the club’s progress, with six of his 17 matches in charge having ended all square, including each of the last two against Espanyol in the league and Napoli in Europe.
Only Athletic Bilbao (8) have drawn more away matches in La Liga than Barcelona (7) this season and it could be more of the same for the Catalan giants when they travel to the Mestalla, with the draw being available at 53/20.
Hosts Valencia may be rooted firmly in midtable, but they have only lost two home matches in the league all season, taking points off Sevilla and Atletico Madrid over recent months, and Barca could well be added to that list on Sunday.
*All odds correct at time of writing