Madrid, Feb 13 (NationPress) Atletico Madrid and FC Barcelona are both eager to take advantage of Real Madrid's congested fixture schedule to keep the heat on in the La Liga title race this weekend. While Atletico and Barcelona enjoyed a week without midweek matches, Real Madrid faced a taxing Champions League encounter against Manchester City on Tuesday night.

Despite a morale-boosting 3-2 victory, Real Madrid must prepare for a challenging return leg next week, prompting Carlo Ancelotti to consider squad rotation for Saturday's tough league match against Osasuna, according to reports from Xinhua.

With key defenders Antonio Rudiger, David Alaba, Eder Militao, and Lucas Vazquez unavailable, and Fede Valverde in need of a break after exceeding 3,000 minutes this season, Ancelotti may lean on players like Brahim Diaz, Arda Guler, and potentially young defender Jacobo Ramon at the notoriously challenging El Sadar Stadium.

Atletico recently secured a draw at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, and if Real Madrid fails to win in Pamplona, Atletico could ascend to the top with a victory at home against Celta Vigo.

Diego Simeone is expected to deploy his strongest lineup, especially with Robin le Normand back from suspension and rival captain Iago Aspas fit following last weekend's vital home win over Betis.

Barcelona, playing on Monday, has an exciting home match against Rayo Vallecano, one of the most in-form teams in La Liga after a nine-game unbeaten streak that has lifted them to sixth place.

Upcoming fixtures against Barcelona, Villarreal, and Real Madrid next month will determine Rayo's capacity to contend for European qualification next season, with Monday's clash expected to be thrilling as their opponent will be without suspended Fermin Lopez and injured Ronald Araujo.

Meanwhile, fourth-placed Athletic Club Bilbao will closely monitor the top three as they recover Nico Williams and Inigo Ruiz de Galarreta ahead of their match against Espanyol. Despite being just above the relegation zone, Espanyol has remained unbeaten at home since October.

Girona will kick off the weekend on Friday night at home against a Getafe side that is steadily rising in the table thanks to their solid defense, remaining unbeaten so far in 2025.

On Saturday, Leganes and Alaves will engage in a critical six-point relegation battle, with Leganes sitting just above the bottom three, while Alaves has dropped to second from the bottom following last weekend's 1-0 loss to Getafe.

This defeat has led some Alaves fans to call for the resignation of club directors and the return of former coach Luis Garcia Plaza, who was replaced by the current coach Eduardo Coudet, who is under pressure to deliver a good result.

Saturday's schedule concludes with a significant east coast derby as fifth-placed Villarreal hosts Valencia, with both teams pursuing very different goals. Villarreal must keep winning to challenge Athletic Club, while third-from-bottom Valencia needs to build on last weekend's hard-fought win over Leganes in what promises to be a tense match at the Estadio de la Ceramica.

At the bottom of the table, Valladolid will host Sevilla before Mallorca faces Las Palmas in a matchup between two teams struggling for positive results. Las Palmas, with four losses and a draw in their last five games, has fallen into the relegation battle, while Mallorca has also slipped into mid-table after a strong first half of the season.

The final match on Sunday features a talented yet inconsistent Betis hosting Real Sociedad, who will travel to Seville after a Europa League playoff in Denmark on Thursday night. The visitors will contend with not only fatigue but also a significant temperature change—factors that may not work in their favor.