Barcelona - Real Madrid captain Raul Gonzalez accepts that he is likely to find himself on the bench for the derby clash with local rivals Atletico Madrid on Sunday.
The Bernabeu icon has been a regular in the first team since he made his debut at 17 and the power he yields in the dressing room means that it is a bold move for the coach Manuel Pellegrini.
Having missed the last two matches, though, against Getafe and AC Milan, Raul agrees it would be logical for him not to be in the starting line-up.
"In the last two games the team has played well and I suppose he will stay with the same players. I don't know if I will play or not but I consider myself capable of performing at the level of any player in the world," said Raul who has become a nemesis for Atletico, scoring eleven goals in total against them.
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"These are always difficult games, above all in the Calderon. Atletico have improved a lot recently, against Chelsea they deserved to win and their confidence will now be much higher."
Leaders Barcelona will be looking to rediscover their incisive football after two draws against Osasuna and Rubin Kazan in which they only managed to score one goal.
But they play a Mallorca side that hopes to spring a surprise.
"We have to play well defensively, make sure the game doesn't open up at the start and if we take our chances then we can get something from the match," said coach Gregorio Manzano.
Sevilla have the difficult task of taking on a rejuvenated Villarreal side although they are likely to have Frederic Kanoute and Adriano available after fitness scares.
Following a woeful start to the season under Ernesto Valverde, Villarreal have moved up the table with back-to-back wins in the league.
Valencia must recover their morale when they take on Zaragoza after letting a two-goal lead slip in the Europa League against Slavia Prague and returned to the Mestalla with only a draw.
Deportivo la Coruna striker Riki Sanchez faces his previous club Getafe in good form but he will be only too aware of the danger posed from Getafe by another Real Madrid youth product Roberto Soldado.
Sporting Gijon meet Espanyol in what is expected to be a tightly fought match between two sides which have made surprisingly good starts to the season and are level on 13 points.
"Our intention is to go to Gijon and pick-up three points. We have done well so far away from home although Gijon are also in-form," said Espanyol striker Jose Callejon.
Racing Santander coach Juan Carlos Mandia has sent out a message of calm ahead of their match with Athletic Bilbao as the pressure is starting to rise following a poor start.
Bottom side Malaga need a good result from their visit to Tenerife although the Canary Island side boast a strong home record.
One point above them Xerez travel to Valladolid who sneaked an injury time equaliser against Espanyol last weekend.
Osasuna also scored in the final minutes against Barcelona to earn a draw in Pamplona and will look to continue their good run against Almeria.
Fixtures
Saturday
Tenerife v Malaga (1700GMT), Getafe v Deportivo la Coruna (1700GMT), Barcelona v Mallorca (1900 GMT), Atletico Madrid v Real Madrid (2100GMT)
Sunday (1600GMT unless otherwise stated)
Valladolid v Xerez, Sporting Gijon v Espanyol, Racing Santander v Athletic Bilbao, Almeria v Osasuna, Valencia v Zaragoza (1800GMT), Sevilla v Villarreal (2000GMT)
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