Pep talk for Barca

Guillem Balague previews our live La Liga games, as Pep Guardiola is lined up to replace Frank Rijkaard.

Our Spanish football expert Guillem Balague looks ahead to another weekend of live La Liga action on Sky Sports - and he answers your email. Got a question for Guillem? Then send it in here SATURDAY
Osasuna v Recreativo
Real Mallorca v Real Madrid
SUNDAY
Sevilla v Villarreal
Barcelona v Getafe

Osasuna v Recreativo
7.00pm, Saturday, Sky Sports 3

It won't be a pretty game, it never is when teams are fighting against relegation, but especially with Osasuna's tendency to play direct football. They are up against a Recreativo that, under Manolo Zambrano the new manager, have become more of a passing team than they used to be. But they are suffering with a lot of injuries including Martin Caceres, the centre-back who is being followed by Premier League clubs and Real Madrid alike. And Florent Sinama-Pongolle who is their one guarantee of goals. Finally, if you want to see some new stars of La Liga, check out Osasuna. Check out Kike Sola, a striker who sometimes scores spectacular goals but above all else is young, tall and big... just how they like them in the Premier League!

Real Mallorca v Real Madrid
9.00pm, Saturday, Sky Sports 3

Mallorca are having a good end of the season and are just five points off a Uefa Cup place, somewhere they didn't expect to be. That they are is down to one of the two best Spanish strikers in La Liga, in terms of stats at least, Daniel Guiza, and his goals, the fact that Juan Arango has finally found some consistency and the form of Jonás. Those three are the key to this Mallorca side that will make things difficult for Real Madrid. Historically this is a game Mallorca think they can win. Real Madrid are playing the kamikaze way they have played far too often where they can always concede and always score goals. But, happy with the way they performed against Sevilla last week, they will go to the Estadio Son Moix thinking they can win and if they can get three points here this is probably the last of the difficult games for them this season. As for the future of Bernd Schuster... basically there is no news! Since the win over Sevilla, everyone has calmed down and interestingly enough he has done an interview in a Spanish paper and came out with the line that he's got to be more amicable, more friendly, treat the press differently. They are the kind of complaints everybody has made against him, including his own players who told him face-to-face last week, so he is making steps to make sure everything stays the same as it is. Which means him being the manager of Real Madrid next season.

Sevilla v Villarreal
6.00pm, Sunday, Sky Sports 2

What a game! Sevilla come into it having lost to Real Madrid, but still in with a clear chance of Champions League football next season. Even though they are five points away, they think they can do it, but they will need to beat a Villarreal side who have the best away stats in La Liga, ahead of Real Madrid. It's worth keeping an eye on Villarreal coach Manuel Pelligrini as well. We are doing an interview with him on Revista de la Liga soon and he says he wants to come to the Premier League. He's the kind of manager that will definitely make an impression on a team and make them play in a completely different way, the way you are not used to in England, but whether that guarantees success, I'm not sure. But the man speaks English, he loves the Premier League and having played against Boro, Everton, United and Arsenal and you have to say, knows how to beat English sides.

Barcelona v Getafe
8.00pm, Sunday, Sky Sports 2

This week all the talk in Barcelona has been about the future - and the future of Frank Rijkaard in particular. The consensus seems to be that he is leaving, although Joan Laporta would like to fight against that, I think he has finally come round to the idea that is finally time to get rid of the Dutchman. Pep Guardiola, former Barca captain and coach of the B team - who are in the third division and about to make it into the play-offs to reach the second - has been named as a replacement if Rijkaard does go. And I mean named by a Catalan television station. All it means - and I know you all like politics - is that there is a group on the Barca board that is backing Guardiola, and by coming out with that 'leak', they are just trying to stop fans having a go at Rijkaard and the team. If they suggest there is a future that will please everybody it will calm everyone down, although I do have my doubts about Guardiola and do think he would be better off as a number two first of all. Nevertheless the impression at the moment is that Rijkaard will leave and Guardiola will become coach next season.

Guillem answers your questions

BASQUE TO THE FUTURE?
Hi Guillem, always enjoy the show and midweek round-up. Keep up the good work. Question: Should Bilbao continue with their recent good form and qualify for the Uefa Cup, will they consider dropping their Basque-only policy or is this never ever going to change in your opinion? Nigel
GUILLEM SAYS: Football is about winning, yes, but only one team can win the league Nigel. The rest can fight for the Champions League, the Uefa Cup or against relegation, which is all very exciting. Real Betis have had moments where they have been fighting for the Champions League and against relegation and they have done it all with the one philosophy - keeping local boys in the team. Now, isn't that fantastic? I think they should keep at it. There has been more and more debate about bringing in foreigners and players from the rest of Spain, but look what happened to Real Sociedad: they started signing some foreigners like English or British players, then they started signing players from all nations and they lost their way, they lost their track, they lost their philosophy - and now they are in the Second Division. BOO-JAN
Hi there Guillem, I have just watched the Barcelona-Betis game where, if I'm honest, Barcelona got what they deserved! My question, however, is about Frank Rijkaard. It seems that by taking off Bojan and dithering over making any further changes when it was obvious the way the game was going he handed the initiative to Betis. Why does he never change the system to combat the way an opposition team is playing, kill off the game and get the points in the bag?! The front three looked totally inept in the second half and it seems that every time they get themselves into a tight situation where they need to work hard to win the ball back the likes of Eto'o and especially Henry go missing. I know that this may seem ridiculous but over the last few weeks it seems that Bojan has been the one player they rely on most to get the goals and as he's still only 17 - this is mad! Is it a certainty that Rijkaard will be gone next season? I certainly hope that some of the overpaid, underworking, players (I'd say Henry, Zambrotta and definitely Ronaldinho) are booted out of the door as they simply don't have the bottle for some of these tight games! Bruce Harvie (a very annoyed Barcelona fan in Edinburgh)
GUILLEM SAYS: I don't think for a minute that taking off Bojan gave the initiative to Real Betis, Bruce. I really don't think it is the terrible mistake everybody is making it out be. It's the Barcelona midfield that is the problem: if they don't pressurise their opponents as much as they should, if they don't move the ball around as quickly as they should, if the midfielders don't run enough, that's when the team loses the initiative and that is what happened. Barcelona couldn't keep the ball for long enough and all the problems I have listed meant that Betis turned things around. To put that much responsibility on a 17-year-old is just mad! Having said that, I don't think Frank Rijkaard has the greatest eye for a game and I can't recall any of his half-time changes that have changed things around! BLANKET-Y BLANK
Hi Guillem! Being a Real Madrid fan, I am very concerned about one fact. Four or five years ago, Real Madrid defended pretty poorly when Hierro, Helguera, Salgado and Carlos used to be in defence. Yet five years later, the same happens in almost every game even with the likes of Cannavaro, Pepe and Ramos. This has been witnessed in games against Olympiacos, Mallorca and Espanyol. What I want to know is, is this a jinx that comes with the name of Real Madrid? Or do we need more new faces in defence? Secondly, the transfer period is always a time of speculation, speculation about who Real will buy next. In your opinion, who do they really need to once again be the dominant force in Europe that they once were? Ali Riaz (Barnsley fan)
GUILLEM SAYS: One of my favourite sayings we have in Spain is: football is like a small blanket - you put it over your head and expose your feet and vice-versa, Ali. Real Madrid is a team that ALWAYS has to win and that is one criticism that has been made against Schuster: when he said that against Valencia, he wished the team had calmed down and settled for a 2-2 draw at home, he was told by people I know 'that's not Real Madrid think'. So, he has got to accept that and they have to go for the win but in doing that, you leave yourself exposed. Not even a defensive central midfielder like Mahamadou Diarra has helped and that is something Real Madrid will always suffer from - they'll never have a perfect team. As for players for next season Ali, there is not that much money at the club. But I think they are going to go for David Villa as a striker and they are going to try and get some midfielders. There is a long list but until we get closer to the end of the season, let's keep it short and see what happens in the summer! Got a question for Guillem? Then send it in here - or fill in the feedback form below.