Guillem Balague looks at a big weekend for Real's Emmanuel Adebayor on which Barcelona could falter.
Guillem gives his verdict as he previews this week's live La Liga games
Sky Sports' Spanish football expert Guillem Balague looks at this week's Sky Live La Liga games.
If you've got a question for Guillem, send it to
skysportsclub@bskyb.com.
Real Madrid v Sporting GijonGetafe v ValenciaVillarreal v BarcelonaSevilla v Real ZaragozaOsasuna v Atletico Madrid
Real Madrid v Sporting Gijon
5pm, Sat, Sky Sports 4
Real Madrid will be without Karim Benzema, so this is a real chance for Emmanuel Adebayor to show what he can do. Jose Mourinho likes him a lot and said of him, when Adebayor first arrived, 'I don't need to see him; I know I want him to stay next season'. It looks increasingly as though Mourinho, after twice flirting with the idea of leaving, is going to stay for another year so those clubs in England who are interested in his services will have to wait that little bit longer.
Getafe v Valencia
7pm, Sat, Sky Sports 4
Valencia have had one or two problems with Vicente; a friend of his fought with a couple of guys who were hassling Vicente at a disco at 5am in the morning but it's very unusual for him to be associated with things like this. He is only 29 but he was at the top of his game when he was 23, since when he has suffered injuries to each ankle and subsequently lost his hunger for football at times. He's got it back; his contract finishes at the end of the season and after that he would like to go to the Premier League.
Villarreal v Barcelona
9pm, Sat, Sky Sports 4
This is the sort of game Barcelona will need to drop points in if they are not going to win the league this season. They do have a habit of not being on top of their game after an international week - the so-called Fifa virus - and in addition there are worries about Lionel Messi, who appears a little jaded; his muscle problems suggest he has overplayed this season. He's the type of player who wants to play in every game and he stayed on in one even though Pep Guardiola asked him to come off, saying 'please, do it for me'. Now we are seeing the consequences of that and Barcelona have their fingers crossed that he doesn't get injured as a result. Real Madrid are coming from behind, playing better as a team and appear mentally stronger whereas Barcelona aren't converting as many of their chances as they were, which suggests that the team is feeling the pressure. It's still Barcelona's title to win but Real now have a chance they might not have expected.
Sevilla v Real Zaragoza
6pm, Sun, Sky Sports HD1
The interesting thing about Sevilla is that they are unlikely to renew Gregorio Manzano's contract even though they are climbing up the table. There have been chats with former Chilean coach Marcelo Bielsa, who has got the idea of club football in his head but doesn't want to be just a first-team coach. He seems to fit Sevilla's profile. He is known as 'crazy' Bielsa for many different reasons and if he goes to Sevilla I will tell you why.
Osasuna v Atletico Madrid
8pm, Sun, Sky Sports HD1
Atletico Madrid
