Real Madrid face a difficult visit to Valencia on Saturday as they look to maintain their lead at the top of La Liga.

Last season's corresponding fixture saw Madrid forward Vinicius Jr receive racist abuse from a section of the Valencia supporters, with part of the Mestalla Stadium closed as a punishment.

Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham (L) breaks through during the Spanish league (La Liga) football match between Real Madrid and Girona in Madrid, Spain, Feb. 10, 2024. (Photo by Gustavo Valiente/Xinhua)

Sections of the Valencia sporting press signaled the Brazilian as responsible for the abuse, and the atmosphere has got tense in the lead-up to a game that will no doubt be watched closely for any further insults towards the player.

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti could have Jude Bellingham available again as the England midfielder looks to complete his recovery from an ankle injury, while Dani Carvajal and Eduardo Camavinga are back after suspension.

The weekend kicks off with a vital match for Celta coach Rafael Benitez, whose men are at home to winless bottom side Almeria.

Celta surrendered a two-goal lead away to Cadiz last Sunday, and failure to beat Almeria could see Celta finally lose patience with the experienced coach.

Real Sociedad need to pick themselves up for a difficult match away to an improving Sevilla, after the heartbreak of going out of the Copa del Rey semifinals on penalties to Mallorca.

Real Sociedad coach Imanol Alguacil has the difficult task of fielding a competitive side, while at the same time ensuring his side are in shape for next week's UEFA Champions League return leg at home to Paris Saint-Germain.

Cadiz look to end a run of 22 games without a win when they visit Rayo Vallecano, with the home side smarting from their 3-0 defeat to Girona on Monday night.

Saturday also has a mid-table clash between Getafe and Las Palmas, with Getafe striker Borja Mayoral the top-scoring Spanish player in La Liga with 15 goals this season.

Athletic Bilbao face FC Barcelona in the biggest game of the weekend, and Barcelona will be confident after last weekend's 4-0 win at home to Getafe.

Athletic have a Copa del Rey semifinal against Atletico Madrid on Thursday, and this is likely to tire their legs and they will also be without the suspended Nico Williams and Daniel Vivian.

Real Betis' hopes of closing the gap on Athletic Bilbao in fifth place rest on them taking something from their visit to play Atletico Madrid, who have the same issues as Athletic, with the doubt over if Antoine Griezmann will recover from an ankle injury.

Mallorca celebrate their qualification for the Cup final at home to second-placed Girona. Tired legs after 120 minutes on Tuesday shouldn't be too much of an issue for Mallorca, who beat a much-changed Girona 3-2 in the quarterfinals of the Cup in January.

Second from bottom Granada visit Villarreal, who will just about assure their survival if they can win Sunday's game, while the round of matches ends on Monday with a derby as Alaves make the short trip to Pamplona to play Osasuna. The home side are without top scorer Ante Budimir, who broke his jaw in last weekend's game against Las Palmas. 

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