Barcelona will be hoping to overcome their recent dip in form at Mallorca today to protect its five-point lead over Real Madrid in the Spanish league.
Barcelona, the two-time defending champions, began the month by setting a league record of 16 straight wins but have since stumbled in a 2-1 Champions League loss at Arsenal and were unconvincing in a 2-1 win over Athletic Bilbao last weekend.
Barcelona will be without midfielder Xavi Hernandez, defenders Carles Puyol and Daniel Alves and goalkeeper Victor Valdes for the match at Iberostar Stadium.
But Lionel Messi, the FIFA World Player of the Year who leads the league with 25 goals, returned to training on Thursday after a few days working alone in the gym. Jefferon Suarez also trained with the squad more than a month after being sidelined by a leg injury.
“Some key players are missing on the Barcelona squad, and those players can obviously make a difference. We see a chance to get a good result,” Mallorca midfielder Jonathan de Guzman told The Associated Press on Thursday. “We’re preparing for this like every other game. But we’ve had good results in the past against these top teams, so we go into the game with a lot of confidence.”
Arsenal and Bilbao both played better after going down 1-0 in matches Barcelona largely controlled. Since coach Pep Guardiola took over in 2008, Barcelona have always struggled in February, having never won a Champions League game in that month and regularly dropping points in the league.
De Guzman said Mallorca’s chase for a Europa League spot could be affected by dropping any points. But the Canadian-born Dutch player also doesn’t believe Barcelona will be dwelling on losing at Arsenal.
Mallorca, 11th in the standings, have a single victory in their past six games. The team has won seven of 12 home games with two draws, including against Madrid.
Madrid play at Deportivo La Coruna today having won three straight league matches. The team also drew 1-1 at Lyon in the Champions League on Tuesday. Karim Benzema scored and showed improved form that could lead to coach Jose Mourinho counting on him down the final stretch of the season.
“He’s back,” Zinedine Zidane said of Benzema. “He’s in good form.”
Madrid are without midfielder Sami Khedira due to a leg injury, while Deportivo are expected to play Mexico forward Andres Guardado for the first time since December.
Deportivo are 13th and three points above the drop places, and come into the match after Daniel Aranzubia headed in a 95th-minute equaliser against Almeria on Sunday to become the first goalkeeper to score from open play in league history.
Third-place Valencia, 17 points behind Barcelona, play tomorrow at Athletic Bilbao, who have lost two straight matches.
Villarreal trail Valencia by two points and are winless in three ahead of tomorrow’s match at Racing Santander, which has won both games since Marcelino Garcia Toral took over as coach.
Atletico Madrid should have both Argentina striker Sergio Aguero and Uruguay forward Diego Forlan available for today’s game against Sevilla, who were knocked out of the Europa League on Wednesday.
Both teams won titles last season but are chasing Europa League qualifying as they face double-digit deficits to Villarreal and the last automatic qualifying spot into the Champions League. Both arrive on the back of league wins, however Sevilla have won only 14 of their 71 visits to the Vicente Calderon - but two of those have come in the last five seasons.
Getafe celebrate their 65th anniversary tomorrow at Hercules and looking to keep pace with the Europa League spots. Paraguay striker Nelson Valdez is a game-time decision for Hercules.
In the other 25th round of games, it’s: Sporting Gijon vs. Zaragoza, Levante vs. Osasuna and Malaga vs. Almeria.
Today
Atletico Madrid-Sevilla
Dep. La Coruna-Real Madrid
Espanyol-Real Sociedad
Mallorca-Barcelona
Sporting Gijon-Real Zaragoza
Tomorrow
Athletic Bilbao-Valencia
Hercules-Getafe
Levante-Osasuna
Racing Santander-Villarreal
Monday
Malaga-Almeria