La Liga preview: No rest for top two in tight competition

Real Madrid and Barcelona enter their La Liga clashes on the back of strong wins, while the Valencia derby is shaping to be a crucial one.

Jose Mourinho’s men continue to impress, extending their winning run in all competitions to nine matches after a 2-0 victory over Lyon in the Champions League on Wednesday.

While Cristiano Ronaldo, Gonzalo Higuain and Karim Benzema continue to score freely, goalkeeper Iker Casillas is marshalling a tight defence that has conceded just six goals in 10 league matches.

Osasuna are eighth and on a three-match unbeaten run, but a trip to face the red-hot Real at the Santiago Bernabeu could bring that streak to an end.

Meanwhile, champions Barcelona, who are a point behind Real, will visit Marcelo Bielsa’s Athletic Bilbao.

Lionel Messi hammered a hat-trick in their 4-0 thrashing of Viktoria Plzen in the Champions League, taking his tally to six goals in the three games since he missed a penalty against Sevilla on October 22.

They are unbeaten and have conceded just four times, but Pep Guardiola will want to ensure they keep winning with Real still leading the league.

Elsewhere, city rivals Levante and Valencia do battle for third place on Saturday.

Surprise packets Levante were league leaders until falling to a 2-0 loss to Osasuna, but they remain two points clear in third despite the defeat.

Valencia will be confident of recording a win on their travels and taking third, with Roberto Soldado (six goals) leading the way up front.

Elsewhere, Granada play host to Racing Santander in what is shaping as a relegation six-pointer on Sunday.

Both teams recorded wins last time out, but a victory for either will move them clear of the bottom three.

Fifth-placed Sevilla travel to take on Mallorca on Saturday, while Malaga visit Real Betis searching for a second straight win.

Sporting Gijon sit just outside the relegation zone ahead of their trip to Real Zaragoza, while last-placed Getafe will take on Atletico Madrid.

Sitting on eight points in a tight bottom half of the table, Real Sociedad will go to Rayo Vallecano, while Espanyol meet Villarreal.