La Liga: Real Madrid Aims to Strengthen Lead Against Valladolid

Madrid (Spain), Jan 23 (NationPress) Real Madrid has a prime opportunity to strengthen their position as the leader of La Liga on Saturday during their short journey to face Valladolid in the 21st matchday. Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid, currently in second place, faces a challenging home match against Villarreal, while Barcelona will host an improving Valencia.

Despite being without the suspended Vinicius Jr and Luka Modric, along with the injured Eduardo Camavinga, Real Madrid remains the clear favorite to secure all three points against a team struggling at the bottom of the standings, having conceded 39 goals in 20 games, as reported by Xinhua. The only uncertainty for Madrid's coach Carlo Ancelotti ahead of Saturday's clash is whether to rest players in anticipation of next week's Champions League outing against Brest, where the team has a slim chance of achieving a top-eight finish and direct advancement to the last-16 of the competition.

Atletico Madrid faces a more daunting challenge, hosting fifth-placed Villarreal at the Metropolitano Stadium.

Coach Diego Simeone grapples with similar decisions as Ancelotti, as his side sits sixth in the Champions League standings but must secure a win against Salzburg in their final game to ensure a spot in the last-16. Alexander Sorloth is a potential injury concern for Atletico, while defender Javi Galan is suspended against Villarreal, who boasts a formidable attack featuring Gerard Moreno, Ayose Perez, Yeremy Pino, and Alex Baena, having recently triumphed over Mallorca with a 4-0 scoreline.

Barcelona will play on Sunday evening at home against a Valencia team that recently moved off the bottom of the table and is showing improvement under new coach Carlos Corberan.

After a thrilling comeback to secure a 5-4 victory against Benfica on Tuesday, earning their place in the last-16 of the Champions League, Barca's league performance has been lackluster lately, suffering four defeats, three draws, and just one win in their last eight La Liga matches. Flick's squad must address their domestic struggles if they hope to compete with Real and Atletico, as failure to beat Valencia could see them lose third place in La Liga if Athletic Club Bilbao secures a win against Leganes.

Athletic is currently fourth and level on points with Barca, but needs to bounce back from a heavy defeat in the Europa League against Besiktas and the loss of midfielder Inigo Ruiz de Galarreta due to a second muscle injury of 2025. Top scorer Oihan Sancet could make a return against a rival whose morale is soaring after victories over both Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.

The weekend begins with Las Palmas and Osasuna both eager to return to winning form, as Osasuna is currently on an eight-match winless streak, while consecutive losses have seen Las Palmas slip back into the relegation battle. Mallorca maintains sixth place despite suffering three defeats in their last four games and will face a Betis side that appears to be in crisis, dealing with a long injury list that includes Chimy Avila, Hector Bellerin, and Gio Lo Celso, further complicating matters for coach Manuel Pellegrini.

Espanyol heads to Sevilla in need of points to escape the bottom three, relying on striker Javi Puado, while Rayo Vallecano seeks to extend their six-match unbeaten streak and aims for a top-six finish against Girona, whose dreams of Champions League qualification were dashed with a 1-0 loss to AC Milan on Wednesday.

The matchday concludes on Monday as Alaves looks to build on last weekend's victory against Betis when they host Celta Vigo, who will be without striker Iago Aspas.