Three days after raising the Copa del Rey at Mestalla Stadium, Real Madrid return to face Valencia in a crucial match to keep alive their slim hopes of catching leaders Barcelona in the Spanish league.

“This is a big boost for us now that the league is practically Barcelona’s,” said Madrid defender Alvaro Arbeloa.

Barcelona hold an eight-point lead and can bounce back from losing the cup to their fierce rivals when they host an Osasuna side just two points above the relegation zone.

With only six rounds to play, Madrid can hardly afford to drop any points if they want to stop the Catalan side from collecting their third straight league crown.

The problem for coach Jose Mourinho’s team is that Valencia have everything to play for since a win will clinch a spot in next year’s Champions League.

“We are three points from our goal of returning to the Champions League and we are going to fight very hard,” Valencia midfielder Ever Banega said.

With his starters exhausted after Wednesday’s 120-minute cup final and yet another clash with Barcelona looming next week in the semi-finals of the Champions League, Mourinho could field a starting 11 full of reserves.

“It does not matter the line-up Madrid have,” Banega said. “Mourinho can come with whoever he wants because we really want to beat them.”

Barcelona now turn their focus to making sure they don’t slip up in the league, where they havn’t lost since the second round and havn’t dropped any points at Camp Nou stadium since October.

“We have to pick ourselves up, digest the defeat and fight because there is a month left that can turn out to be very nice,” Barcelona striker David Villa said. “We are angry but we have to keep going, we have to decide the league and then think about the Champions League, where we have the chance to qualify for the final.”

Osasuna have lost 12 of their 16 away games this season, and the match offers an excellent opportunity for Barcelona to rediscover their attacking form. Lionel Messi has been providing his team’s scoring punch as both Villa and attack partner Pedro Rodriguez have gone 11 games without finding the back of the net.

“Now we have to take on a game with an important three points in play,” Pedro said.

Also today, Real Sociedad visit fifth-place Athletic Bilbao in a Basque Country derby, while sixth-place Sevilla host fourth-place Villarreal tomorrow in a critical game for the Andalusian club’s chances of playing in Europe next season.

After a strong first half of the season, the promoted Sociedad could be in danger of falling back into the second division if they cannot earn points at San Mames stadium.

“We are very excited for this game, it is the one we most look forward to playing away from Anoeta,” said Sociedad playmaker Xabi Prieto. “Whoever scores first will determine the winner because I believe it will be a low-scoring game.”

Sevilla havn’t won in two weeks and will try to take advantage of a Villarreal side that has slumped in the league recently as they concentrate on the Europa League, where they have reached the semi-finals.

But a loss for Gregorio Manzano’s team could see it slide out of European positions with Atletico Madrid even on points and Espanyol just one point behind.

On Monday, last-place Almeria play fellow drop-zone side Zaragoza.

Also tomorrow, it’s: Mallorca vs. Getafe, Sporting Gijon vs. Espanyol, Hercules vs. Deportivo La Coruna, Racing Santander vs. Malaga, and Atletico vs. Levante.

Today

Valencia-Real Madrid

Barcelona-Osasuna

Athletic Bilbao-Real Sociedad

Tomorrow

Hercules-Deportivo La Coruna

Racing Santander-Malaga

Real Mallorca-Getafe

Sporting Gijon-Espanyol

Atletico Madrid-Levante

Sevilla-Villarreal