La Liga live on Sky: Barcelona v Villarreal and Granada v Real Madrid
Saturday 6 May 2017 16:26, UK
Barcelona will need to overcome a stubborn test to maintain top spot in La Liga on Saturday as Villarreal visit the Nou Camp.
The Catalans will not be expecting any favours as rivals Real Madrid visit already-relegated Granada in the late game, while the Yellow Submarine arrive on the hunt for European qualification.
There is also plenty of continental interest in the third-versus-sixth tie on Friday night as Sevilla host Real Sociedad, while Atletico Madrid look to bounce back from their Champions League semi-final drubbing when they host the season's surprise package Eibar.
Here's a look at the title race action…
Barcelona v Villarreal - Saturday, 5.30pm, live on Sky Sports 5 HD
With a superior head-to-head record putting Barca ahead of Real, who have a game in hand, Luis Enrique's men know they cannot afford any more slip-ups if they are to retain the title.
That makes it a bad time for them to come up against a side who have proven incredibly difficult to beat this season, with Villarreal losing just one of their seven clashes with top-four sides this season.
Fran Escriba's men have beaten Atletico twice, held Real to a draw at the Bernabeu, played out successive goalless draws with Sevilla and were moments away from winning the reverse fixture against Barca, when only a last-gasp Lionel Messi free-kick denied them the three points.
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The Yellow Submarine also arrive in fine form, having won their last three games including a 1-0 victory at the Vicente Calderon, a triumph which ended a 12-match unbeaten run for Atleti.
Barca have, of course, got their own momentum, having won their last three games impressively, racking up 13 goals in sinking Real Madrid, Osasuna and Espanyol.
That run sees them considered big favourites, with Sky Bet placing odds of 12/1 against Villarreal, but the task in hand looks far less straight-forward against a defence which has conceded just 10 times on the road this term.
Sky Bet odds: Barcelona 2/11, Draw 13/2, Villarreal 12/1
Granada v Real Madrid - Saturday from 7.30pm, live on Sky Sports 5 HD
The objective is straight-forward for Real Madrid - win the remaining five games of the campaign and be crowned champions of Spain and then Europe.
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Part one of that task looks pretty routine on Saturday when they visit Tony Adams' already-relegated Granada, who have lost their last five and are winless in 10.
Real were also rampant in the reverse fixture, winning 5-0, but Zidane is likely to field a very different side this weekend, having significantly shuffled his pack for their recent away games.
Cristiano Ronaldo looks a certainty to sit out a third successive trip, while the prolific Alvaro Morata is expected to lead the line in place of Karim Benzema.
Morata is likely to be joined by James Rodriguez, Lucas Vazquez and Marco Asensio, while Zidane will also have to make defensive changes after Dani Carvajal went off injured during Real's 3-0 midweek victory over Atletico Madrid.
Despite the changes, and Real being on the road, it would be a huge surprise if they were to do anything other than move a step closer to landing a league and European double for just the third time in their illustrious history.
