FCBARCELONA.CAT

17.10.2009 17:03

Spanish League Preview, Week 7

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The top four are all in action on Saturday night, with Seville travelling to La Coruña to meet Deportivo and Real Madrid at home to Valladolid before Barca and Valencia close the night's action with their ten o'clock kick off.

Injured Cristiano Ronaldo will miss the game at the Bernabeu as will Guti, Gago, Metzelder and Ruud Van Nistelroy who are all out injured, whilst Pellegrini can count on the return of Arbeloa. For their part, Valladolid go into the game without the suspended Marcos and with Sisiano González Sisi, Fabián Canobbio and Jonathan Sesma all out injured.

Depotrivo will be missing their influential playmaker Juca for the visit of Seville, who the Deportivo boss reckons are “a great team”, but who will be without keeper Palop, defender Squillaci and Luis Fabiano for the game. Deportivo will be looking to extend their three game wining run and take revenge for the four times Seville beat them last season.

Michel full of praise for Mallorca

Mallorca will be hoping for defeats for Valencia and Deportivo which would allow them to get back into the top four if they can beat Getafe on Sunday. Getafe boss Michel was full of praise for Mallorca, pointing out that “they've not conceded a goal at home yet. Apart from their slip up at Gijon, they've been `playing really well”. Getafe lie eighth, a point behind Mallorca, with Bilbao sandwiched between them. After a brilliant start to the season, Bilbao have failed to win in their last three league games and boss Joaquim Caparros goes into the game against Sporting with 9 players out – 7 injured, Ustariz suspended and Iker Muniain off with the Spanish under 17 squad.

Bottom two meet at Madrigal

Espanyol will want to put all the controversy surrounded Raul Tamudo behind them when they take on Tenerife at Cornella. Espanyol haven't been beaten for four games, but have drawn their last two games 0-0, against the bottom two clubs, Villarreal and Jerez, who meet at the Madrigal with the pressure really growing on Villarreal boss Ernesto Valverde, who admitted: “our problem is scoring. We're making plenty of chances, but failing to put them away”. Villarreal have failed to score in their last four games, whilst Jerez have only scored once all season, so a goalfeast doesn't seem on the cards.

Atletico Madrid's win against Zaragoza a fortnight ago took them out of the bottom three, but they face a tough trip to Pamplona to play Osasuna on Sunday, whilst below them Malaga entertain Almeria and Racing Santander travel to Zaragoza.