Llorente goal gives Real Sociedad victory

A clinical Joseba Llorente strike helped in-form Real Sociedad beat Racing Santander and move them into a European place on Saturday.

This was Real’s fourth victory in five games and they went ahead after just six minutes when Llorente latched onto a clever through-ball by Xabi Prieto and made no mistake with his finish.

Racing moved out of the relegation zone with a win over Osasuna last weekend but Real were in charge in a surprisingly open game.

The visitors were guilty of giving the ball away cheaply and Antoine Griezmann went close to doubling the lead when his lob went over the crossbar.

Ariel Nahuelpan had a shot saved by Real keeper Claudio Bravo but in the second half Racing should have added to the lead notably when Griezmann on his own in the area saw his shot saved by the keeper Tono Rodriguez and then Prieto hit the post after a fine run.

Later, Espanyol look to take advantage of a Malaga side in crisis. The Andalusian club fired their Portuguese coach Jesualdo Ferreira after a poor start to the season and ex-Real Madrid trainer Manuel Pellegrini has just been appointed.

On Sunday leaders Real Madrid play local rivals Atletico but coach Jose Mourinho has tried to play down the importance of the game.

“I don’t aim to win derbies but to win championships and in order to do that you have to win games. The idea of playing derbies is to pick up points and that is what I want to do whether it is Atletico or anyone else,” he said.

“We want to win and it will be a difficult game so we have to be on form. I know that for the fans there is more than just points at stake but that is not the case for me.”

It is eleven years since Atletico last won at the Bernabeu but the team are in a positive mood after an important away win in the Europa League against Rosenborg.

Barcelona are poised a point below Real in case the latter slip-up and they face a trip to struggling Getafe.

Although the encounter on paper does not appear difficult, coach Pep Guardiola offered a word of warning. “Michel (Del Campo, the Getafe coach) is a Spanish football icon and what he achieved as a player was immense.

“His teams always play good football and we cannot fall into the trap of thinking that because their last few results have not been good that they will be a walkover,” he said.

“It is exactly this that does make them dangerous. It is a difficult stadium to visit for a lot of reasons and they have players with speed and quality.”

Behind the top two Villarreal and Valencia are desperately trying to keep up. Brazilian Nilmar has improved a lot since his first season at Villarreal and is now a potent threat in attack.

Borja Valero has also been a useful addition in midfield as cover for the ageing Marcos Senna. They take on Athletic Bilbao this weekend while Valencia face a tricky away trip to Sevilla.

Bottom side Zaragoza have made a woeful start and need to improve against Mallorca while Deportivo la Coruna above them are also in trouble and they take on promoted Levante.

Also new to the top-flight are Hercules, who brought in prized assets Royston Drenthe and David Trezeguet in the summer. They managed a surprise victory at the Nou Camp earlier in the season but as they prepare to take on Osasuna their objective is survival.