Barcelona v Real Sociedad (Camp Nou): Preview Source
Barcelona captain Carles Puyol is confident his side can show against Real Sociedad on Sunday that last week's defeat by Villarreal was nothing more than a minor slip.
The Catalan club saw their 10-point lead at the top of the Primera Liga cut to seven as an inspired performance from Juan Roman Riquelme led Villarreal to a 3-0 victory.
Ronaldinho, so often the protagonist for Barca and especially when they are struggling in a game, was largely anonymous against Villarreal, but the club have said he will play against Sociedad.
However, Deco will be missing through suspension and his position in the team will go to youngster Andres Iniesta.
Midfielder Xavi Hernandez admitted the absence of the Portuguese star is a blow to Barca, but he is optimistic they can pick up three points.
Sociedad too have had a bad start to the new year, losing 2-0 at home to Albacete last weekend and 2-1 in the re-arranged game against Real Madrid.
They are currently lying 13th in the table with 22 points from 18 games and have only two wins away from the Anoeta Stadium.
Their task will not be helped if leading scorer Kahveci Nihat, who is a doubt for Sunday's game with a stomach complaint, has to pull out.
Real Madrid v Real Zaragoza (Santiago Bernabeu): Preview
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Raul has a muscle problem in his left leg, while Ronaldo is struggling with his left calf.
Fellow forward Fernando Morientes completed his transfer to Liverpool on Thursday, which could open the door for Michael Owen to start another league game despite his quiet performance in Madrid's 0-0 draw in Thursday's Copa del Rey game in Valladolid.
Madrid, currently seven points behind league leaders Barcelona, will go into the game with the advantage of knowing the result of Barca's game against Real Sociedad, which will be played earlier in the day.
Whatever the outcome of Barca's match, Madrid will still be playing catch-up, although they could be in the position to close the gap to just four points.
Transfer rumours Source
As expected, Real Madrid were active in the winter transfer market this week for the first time in several seasons, the unsettled Morientes making his move to Liverpool and Portillo being recalled from his loan at Fiorentina to replace him. And only hours afterwards they finally agreed terms with the man the Spanish press are calling "the Ogre" or "Shrek", Everton's Thomas Gravesen, who is expected to give them the fighting spirit they have been lacking in midfield since Makelele left. Their number one rivals Barcelona have still not made their move though, with their latest target Iaquinta proving a difficult fish to land as Udinese upped the asking price to €12 million. John Carew is still an alternative though for the striker's spot, and there is talk once again of Edgar Davids returning as the other options for a defensive midfielder fall through.
Barcelona vs.
Real Sociedad
