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Beaten Copa del Rey semi-finalists Real Sociedad will have revenge in mind when they host Barcelona in La Liga on Saturday.
Gerardo Martino's side won through to the final of the competition earlier this month thanks to a 3-1 aggregate win over the Basque club.
While Jagoba Arrasate will have been pleased with his side after they managed to hold Barca to a draw at Anoeta in the second leg, the damage had already been done thanks to a Sergio Busquets effort and Enaut Zubikarai's bizarre own-goal in the first game.
The draw may not have been enough to halt Barca's road to the final but it did maintain Sociedad's strong home record against the Spanish champions.
Barca have not won at Anoeta in their last four attempts and lost there 3-2 last season despite taking a 2-0 lead in the 25th minute.
Gonzalo Castro's double and Imanol Agirretxe's last-minute winner did the damage on that occasion and will give Sociedad hope of producing another shock this weekend.
Despite their poor recent record in San Sebastian, Martino's men have been in fine form this year, tasting defeat just once in all competitions during 2014.
As well as staying firmly in the hunt for the Liga title and moving into the final of the Copa del Rey, Martino's men edged Manchester City in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League last-16 tie on Tuesday.
After an impressive 2-0 win at the Etihad Stadium, Martino urged his side not to lose momentum.
"We have to remain calm and continue along the same path because there is no time to relax as we must now start thinking about our next game in La Liga," he said.
"We have clear objectives in each tournament. We can play better or we can play worse than (on Tuesday) but in no way are we going to relax."
Sociedad also have plenty still to play for and, following their Champions League exit in the group stage, can focus fully on qualifying for Europe again next season.
Currently in sixth, Arrasate's side are four points off Athletic Bilbao who occupy the final Champions League spot, with Sociedad vying to repeat last season's fourth-place finish.
Barca could be without Jordi Alba after the left-back suffered an injury to his right hamstring while Arrasate has no fresh injury concerns following Monday's 1-0 win over Malaga.
Real Madrid will move top of La Liga for at least a few hours if they extend their unbeaten run to 26 matches against Elche on Saturday.
Carlo Ancelotti's side remain locked level on 60 points with Barcelona and Atletico Madrid at the summit of the Spanish top flight, but sit second behind the Catalan club by virtue of their inferior goal difference.
Real play before either of their great rivals this weekend though, with Barca visiting Real Sociedad later on Saturday and Atleti travelling to Osasuna on Sunday, meaning they require just a point at home to Fran Escriba's men to take top spot.
However, the capital club's imperious form of late - they have not lost a game since their 2-1 Liga reverse at Camp Nou in October - indicates they will pick up a 15th consecutive home victory in all competitions.
Indeed, the only team to avoid defeat in 18 matches at the Bernabeu in La Liga, the UEFA Champions League and the Copa del Rey this term are Atleti, who came away with a 1-0 league win in September.
Elche can take some heart from the fact Cristiano Ronaldo will be absent this weekend, with the Portugal star serving the last of his three-game ban after his sending off at Athletic Bilbao earlier in the month.
Ronaldo netted twice in Real's 2-1 victory at the Estadio Manuel Martinez Valero in September - including a controversial 96th-minute winning penalty - and is La Liga's top scorer this season, with 22 goals in 21 appearances.
Real have seemingly not missed the former Manchester United man, however, as they have put seven goals past Villarreal and Getafe in the two Liga games since his dismissal at San Mames.
Jese Rodriguez has replaced Ronaldo on the left, and has also filled the Portuguese's boots capably with a goal in each of his last three games.
A 3-0 win at Getafe last time out took Ancelotti's men to 101 goals in 38 games in all competitions this term and, given Elche's poor record on the road, that total looks set to grow this weekend.
Escriba's team, who sit 13th in the table, have won just two of their 11 away Liga matches this season, conceding 23 goals in the process.
La Liga Wrap: Real Madrid win to move clear as Barcelona lose
22 February 2014
Real Madrid moved three points clear in La Liga thanks to a 3-0 win over Elche and Barcelona losing to Real Sociedad.
Real were never in any problems at the Santiago Bernabeu once they opened the scoring through Asier Illarramendi, the midfielder netting his first league goal for the club via a deflection.
Gareth Bale added the second with a long-range strike that crashed off the crossbar on its way in, and Isco completed the win with a low shot past Manu Herrera with nine minutes remaining
Four hours later their lead at the top was confirmed as Barcelona were beaten 3-1 in San Sebastian.
Gorka Elustondo's header deflected off Alex Song to give Sociedad the lead at Anoeta, but Barca soon responded with an equaliser through Lionel Messi - his sixth goal in five matches against Sociedad.
However, that was not enough and Barcelona fell to a shock defeat as the hosts scored twice in five second-half minutes to seal the three points and extend their unbeaten home record against the Catalan giants to five games.
Antoine Griezmann, who was impressive throughout, put Jagoba Arrasate's side back in front with a sliding finish following a square pass from Carlos Vela and the Frenchman turned provider for David Zurutuza to complete the victory.
The defeat is a huge blow to Barcelona's title hopes, while Sociedad move above Villarreal and into fifth.
Celta extended their unbeaten run in the league to five games as they came from a goal behind to rescue a point in a 1-1 draw against Getafe in Vigo.
The visitors opened the scoring in the 20th minute through Lafita, but eight minutes into the second half they were reduced to 10 men as Lisandro Lopez was given a second yellow card.
Celta used their man advantage almost immediately as Rafinha levelled in the 59th minute, and Luis Enrique's side nearly won it in stoppage time but Nolito's strike hit the woodwork.
Meanwhile, at the bottom of the table, an inspired performance from Wily Caballero helped earn Malaga a 0-0 draw against Almeria.
The goalkeeper made a string of saves to deny the hosts as both sides ended winless runs with a much-needed point.
Both sides creep away from the bottom three with the point, with Malaga now three points ahead of Valladolid.
La Liga Wrap: Atletico title hopes dented, Athletic clear in fourth
23 February 2014
Osasuna dented Atletico Madrid's title bid with a 3-0 win on Sunday, while Athletic Bilbao remain in pole position for fourth.
Atletico coach Diego Simeone opted to rest numerous key men following their 1-0 UEFA Champions League win over Milan and with Real Madrid up next in La Liga, but that decision backfired.
Alvaro Cejudo fired Osasuna into a sixth-minute lead as he buried Emiliano Armenteros' corner at the back post. Armenteros added a second in the 21st minute and he did so in style as he lashed in a fierce strike from 25 yards.
The visitors found Osasuna particularly difficult to break down and three minutes prior to the break the El Sadar crowd were cheering for a third time as Roberto Torres steered Damia's left-wing cross past the helpless Thibaut Courtois with precise header.
Simeone made changes at half-time and early in the second period, but his efforts were futile as Osasuna held on to the three-goal margin with relative ease, moving them seven points clear of the bottom three, while Atletico end the weekend three points behind leaders Real.
Athletic maintained their three-point lead over bitter rivals Real Sociedad in the race for fourth place with a routine 2-0 win at nine-man Real Betis.
Iker Muniain got the first from the penalty spot after Kike Sola was tripped by Damien Perquis, who received a second yellow card seven minutes later.
Chilean midfielder Lolo Reyes also picked up a second booking in the second half as Betis went down to nine men and Guillermo's first La Liga goal wrapped up the win in the 81st minute with a header at back post.
Valencia came from behind to steal a late 2-1 win over visitors Granada after Piti initially opened the scoring in the 47th minute.
Paco Alcacer guided Sofiane Feghouli's cross in to level the score 64 minutes in and Ruben Vezo netted his first goal for the club with a 91st-minute tap-in.
Unai Emery's Sevilla contested Sunday's early kick-off at Rayo Vallecano and put their six-match winless La Liga run behind them with a 1-0 victory.
The same fixture last season saw Sevilla miss two penalties in a 0-0 draw, but Coke's 57th-minute strike against his former side was enough this time around, despite the injured Vicente Iborra getting controversially sent off for time wasting while being substituted.
Real Sociedad began an internal inquiry on Sunday into an incident involving Haris Seferovic, following the club's 3-1 win over Barcelona.
The Swiss forward celebrated his 22nd birthday after Saturday's La Liga match in San Sebastian but finished the evening at a local police station after a heated argument with his partner.
Reports in the Spanish media suggested a police officer had to intervene to stop an argument between Seferovic and his partner.
"Real Sociedad has opened an internal investigation relating to the player Haris Seferovic in order to clear the facts from last night in San Sebastian," the Basque club said in a statement.
"Haris Seferovic has given a statement this morning at the summary court, with no charges laid against him.
"Real Sociedad is sorry that one of his players is immersed in incidents like this. At the conclusion of the investigation, the club will take relevant action."
Seferovic and his partner reportedly dismissed the incident as nothing more than a typical relationship squabble.
Atletico Madrid Coach Diego Simeone admitted his side were second best in the 3-0 defeat against Osasuna.
Goals from Alejandro Cejudo, Emiliano Armenteros and Roberto Torres gave Osasuna the victory and denied Atletico the chance to move level on points at the top of the table with Real Madrid.
Simeone spoke to reporters after the final whistle, insisting that the only reason for the defeat was Osasuna were better on the night - not because he made a number of changes to his starting XI.
“Osasuna enjoyed a great first 20 minutes,” Simone said.
“We were lost, they outclassed us, and when that happens, we congratulate our rivals.
“To sum up tonight: they had a great game, we were awful and that's all there is to it.
“I would have preferred to have lost [this match] playing as we did in the second half."
The former Manchester United defender will be out of action for a fortnight after suffering a muscular problem against Sociedad
Barcelona defender Gerard Pique is set for two weeks on the sidelines with a thigh injury he picked up in Saturday's 3-1 loss against Real Sociedad.
The centre-back played the full 90 minutes in Barca's defeat on Saturday, but the club have since confirmed he sustained a muscular problem during the match.
Pique is expected to miss the league games with Almeria and Real Valladolid, while he could also be a doubt for the second leg of Barca's Champions League last-16 tie with Manchester City on March 12.
It is not the first time that the 27-year-old has spent time out this season, after struggling with a groin problem and a hernia earlier in the campaign.
"Gerard Pique will be out of action for two weeks after suffering a minor thigh injury against Real Sociedad," Barca confirmed in a statement on the club's official website.
"Pique also missed the away game to Betis in November with groin trouble, the same problem that led to him being dropped as a precautionary measure for the games with Osasuna and Celta."
The 37-year-old has made 33 appearances in all competitions for Barca this season, scoring four goals, and his absence could be a big loss for head coach Gerardo Martino with little cover in defence.
Sergio Asenjo saved an injury-time penalty to earn Villarreal a crucial 2-1 win at Espanyol on Monday.
The visiting goalkeeper flung himself to his right to keep out Sergio Garcia's spot-kick after Gabriel Paulista had handled inside the area.
It could prove a vital stop for Villarreal come the end of the season as victory moved them to within four points of Athletic Bilbao, who occupy La Liga's fourth and final UEFA Champions League qualifying berth.
Villarreal hit the front in the 36th minute as Moises tapped home from close range following a pinpoint low cross from Nahuel Leiva.
An away victory appeared a formality when Jeremy Perbet made it 2-0 five minutes after half-time, tucking home a rebound after Kiko Casilla had kept out Giovani dos Santos' initial effort.
Espanyol had other ideas, however, and Villarreal had to withstand a late barrage.
Substitute Jhon Cordoba pulled a goal back 12 minutes from time after being set up by Garcia, who then saw his firm penalty parried away by Asenjo as Villarreal bounced back from consecutive league defeats.
Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo believes star striker Diego Costa will remain at the club to cement his place in Spain's squad.
Costa's decision to represent the world and European champions at international level instead of his country of birth, Brazil, caused a stir last October.
The 25-year-old featured for the 2014 FIFA World Cup hosts in two friendly fixtures, but was granted permission to switch allegiance as he has not featured in a competitive fixture for Brazil.
Costa has been the reported interest of several club sides including Premier League outfit Chelsea, after a season that has seen him bag 21 La Liga goals for Atletico thus far.
But speaking to journalists at the Complutense University of Madrid, Cerezo expressed his belief that Costa is settled in Spain and will not angle for a move.
"I don't think Diego Costa is going to leave Atletico next year. Undoubtedly we do not want to use any player as an exchange for money," he said.
"You can appreciate this because we never sell but other teams come for our players.
"Diego wants to play for the Spanish national team and it has been an important decision (for him).
"He likes Spain, he lives here and he considers it a better option to be part of the current world champions, so if he does play he will do great. I trust the Spanish team will gain a lot with his inclusion."
Costa has yet to feature for Vicente Del Bosque's side, but his form for Atletico appears certain to make him a contender for Spain's 23-man World Cup squad.
Barcelona have again denied any wrongdoing over the transfer of Neymar, but have paid an additional €13.5million to Spanish authorities.
The voluntary payment - which the club says is a gesture to "defend the club's reputation" - comes as investigations continue into allegations of tax evasion.
Brazilian Neymar arrived at Camp Nou in the close-season from Santos for a reported fee of €57.1m, although allegations subsequently surfaced that the figure was much higher.
The Spanish courts have since opened legal proceedings over the affair, but in a statement on their official website on Monday, Barca once again protested their innocence and insisted that they will mount a legal defence – as well as revealing the voluntary payment which, the club said, has been made “given the existence of a possible divergent interpretation of the exact amount of tax responsibility arising from the signing.”
"Following the opening of legal proceedings for alleged tax irregularities relating to the different payments made during the signing of the player Neymar da Silva Santos Jr, the Futbol Club Barcelona board of directors has met at the club offices and unanimously reached the following agreements," the statement read.
"The board denies the existence of any tax-related crime in relation to the fiscal obligations arising from the signing of the player. Throughout the process, the club was receiving expert advice and at every moment the club's auditor was informed and had access to all the documentation concerning the negotiations.
"As we have done so far, the club will continue to give maximum collaboration to the Law Courts in order to clarify the facts of the case.
"The club will present a legal defence in the case opened against it and members can be assured that the club has always acted within the law and that the board will defend the club's reputation – one of the most emblematic in our country – until the final consequences and in whatever legal context required.
"We wish to make clear that FC Barcelona has always fulfilled its tax obligations, both in terms of time and method, and has enjoyed close collaboration with the Spanish tax authorities. FC Barcelona has no tax debts.
"The board again insists that in relation to this signing, the club has scrupulously fulfilled its fiscal obligations in line with its awareness at the time of the contracts and agreements signed in good faith.
"Given the existence of a possible divergent interpretation of the exact amount of tax responsibility arising from the signing and to defend the club's reputation and good name, FC Barcelona has this morning made a complementary tax declaration of a total of 13,550,830,56 Euros (thirteen million, five hundred and fifty thousand, eight hundred and thirty Euros and fifty-six cents) to cover any potential interpretation made concerning the contracts signed in the transfer process for Neymar, although we remain convinced that the original tax payment was in line with our fiscal obligations.
"This voluntary contribution should not be understood as in any way affecting the club's right to have its tax obligations in this matter determined by the competent authorities, concerning which the club reserves the right to further action."
Barcelona president insists Neymar deal was legitimate
25 February 2014
Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu insists his club have done nothing wrong in the signing of Neymar.
The La Liga giants paid €13.5million to the Spanish authorities on Monday after being charged with tax fraud in the signing of the Brazil star from Santos.
Sandro Rosell, president at the time, denied any wrongdoing but stepped down wanting to clear his and the club's name.
Bartomeu reiterated that Barca did nothing wrong in luring the 22-year-old forward to Catalonia.
Barcelona admitted Neymar cost €86.2m – not €57.1m as they originally said – after payments to the player and his family.
"Our partners, they have to keep this in mind. What we said some weeks ago about the contract of Neymar was the truth," Bartomeu said on Monday.
"These are the contracts, and we have showed them correctly. We have talked about it.
"I brought the newspaper of the club this month and inside you have two pages dedicated to the contract of Neymar.
"Something that never happened in Spanish and European football, that a club make public all the amounts. They are not more than these ones.
"What we wanted was to bring Neymar and we did everything for it. Even if some teams are not happy with it, he is with us and plays for us, and there are no more numbers than those ones.
"Our partners have to be very sure that we have done everything legal and we have been very transparent. The only thing we did was to bring him to us, that was what our technical staff wanted."
The Blancos legend feels that the Liga leaders are in fine fettle right now, not least because of the fine form of Cristiano Ronaldo and Xabi Alonso
Raul believes that Carlo Ancelotti has put together the best Real Madrid side in recent years.
The Blancos legend will be an interested spectator when the Liga leaders travel to Germany on Wednesday to take on another of his former sides, Schalke.
The 36-year-old striker, who spent 16 years at the Santiago Bernabeu and two in Gelsenkirchen, believes the Champions League last-16, first-leg clash will be a tough game for both sides, though he feels that Madrid are as strong as they have been for some time.
"I love both teams,” Raul told Goal. “I spent my best moments as a footballer with them and I really wish them good luck.
"Real Madrid are putting in great performances nowadays and are in their best condition in recent years, but Schalke is a good team and they have proved that by reaching the knockout stages.
“This game will be difficult for both teams.”
However, the former Spain forward feels that Schalke must give "120 per cent" to have a chance of overcoming Madrid's star-studded line-up.
"Cristiano Ronaldo is without question the best player at the moment," Raul told Schalke's official website.
"He is currently experiencing the strongest phase of his career. His achievements and his consistency stand out.
"Xabi Alonso is also extremely important for the team. He is the puppet master in midfield, a kind of conductor. But there are also many other great personalities such as Iker Casillas and Sergio Ramos.
"I believe that Schalke has to play beyond its limits in both games. Each player on the pitch needs to be at 120 percent and play at their full potential. And that little bit of luck of course will help."
He also feels the quality of the competition this season makes it impossible to say with any certainty who will lift the Champions League trophy this year.
"It's very difficult to predict as you saw all of the home teams lost last week," he pointed out. "There are a lot of strong teams; this year needs more effort to win it because it is such a hot contest.”
Atletico Madrid Coach Diego Simeone has said that far from being intimidated by Real Madrid and Barcelona, he relishes fixtures against the top two.
El Cholo was speaking to Argentinean publication Ole! and his comments have been re-printed by AS.
Simeone said that he has never feared playing Madrid or Barca and if it was up to him, would play the pair more often.
“It’s better for us. In the sports papers, 10 pages are dedicated to Madrid and another 10 to Barca and if they win 4-0, it’s as though they won 16-0 because the constantly repeat the highlights,” Simeone said.
“That creates a situation of fear and so when you have to play against them, you’re almost losing from the start.
“For foreign teams it’s a bit different, meeting Madrid or Barca motivates them as they are less affected by the media hype. If it was up to me, I’d play against them every week.”
Simeone also revealed details about his approach to the game and admitted that as he favours a style that differs from Pep Guardiola’s, he felt like an outsider upon taking the Atletico job.
“We want to build a team which shows commitment,” Simeone continued.
“That is a very big word to use and I mean it in the sense of being committed to play, to run, to train, respect your rival, understand the intelligence that lies behind the game.
“At Atletico, I think we are achieving that and it’s fantastic to see a kind of commitment that few people have in life.
“We have a very specific way of working. We know that, as a team, we are dangerous and competitive.
“We also know that, over 40 weeks, Real Madrid and Barca will be streets ahead of us but in the day-to-day, we feel very close to them.
“When I first arrived, the first thing I said was that I wanted our team to be a nuisance. We’ve achieved that.
“By being a nuisance, I mean being competitive and letting our rivals know that to beat us, they will need to run three times as much as we do and work double.
We are an uncomfortable team to face and our opponents know it.
“At the beginning it was difficult to accept that there are other ways of playing because in Spain, most teams usually play in the same way, apart from during the final 10 games of the season when they need to pick up points.
“We understood that we needed to start racking up points right from the opening day - that’s how we live this game.
“We’re not following an idea as such but more the history of this club. Historically, Atletico has always been an aggressive, intense, counter-attacking side.”
Simeone also noted that while Atletico’s 1-0 win over Milan at San Siro in the Champions League puts the team in a good position, his experience of Serie A means he’s taking nothing for granted.
“Somebody told me the other day that Real Madrid have never won in Milan.
“It’s important for us but it’s not decisive. They’ll be out for revenge - I know what the Italians are like.”
The Brazilian has admitted his desire to return to the club he represented with distinction as a player within in the next 10 years
Former Real Madrid left-back Roberto Carlos has admitted that he would like to coach the club within the next decade.
The Brazilian spent 11 years at the Santiago Bernabeu as a player, winning four Liga titles and three Champions League trophies among a host of other honours.
And the 40-year-old, now in charge of Turkish outfit Sivasspor, wants to return to the Spanish capital to lead los Blancos.
"To train Real Madrid within about 10 years is a dream that I have," he is quoted as saying by Marca.
Madrid face Schalke in the last 16 of the Champions League on Wednesday and the former Anzhi man was warned his old side to be wary of Jens Keller's side and cooled talk of a treble.
"Real Madrid are very good on the ball but Schalke are dangerous on the break," he said.
"When we were going for three competitions during my time, we were left without any. You have to go slowly. You cannot think that Real Madrid are the best team in Europe."
Aritz Aduriz continued his remarkable scoring record against Granada, netting a hat-trick in a 4-0 victory on Friday.
The attacker went into the game having scored his side's last three goals in matches with Granada, and did not take long to get on the scoresheet again this time around.
Aduriz headed home after seven minutes to get Bilbao off to a wonderful start, before firing in a superb 20-yard strike off the angle of post and crossbar to double the hosts' advantage 11 minutes later.
Granada captain Diego Mainz was given his marching orders in the 73rd minute when he brought down Aduriz in the box, and the undoubted man of the match made no mistake in sending the resulting penalty down the middle and beyond Roberto from 12 yards.
Carlos Gurpegi completed the rout 10 minutes from time, volleying home from the edge of the area after Granada had failed to clear their lines from a cross.
The win lifts fourth-placed Bilbao seven points clear of Villarreal and Real Sociedad, who each play on Sunday, in the battle for UEFA Champions League qualification.
Granada have now lost five of their last six league outings and remain 13th.
Barcelona head coach Gerardo Martino will serve a one-match touchline ban after being sent off at Real Sociedad on Saturday.
The 51-year-old was sent to the stands by referee David Fernandez Borbalan at half-time of Barca's 3-1 defeat at Anoeta after remonstrating with the official in the tunnel.
Martino will subsequently have to take a watching brief from the stands when the Spanish champions host Almeria in La Liga on Sunday, with the club announcing they will not appeal the decision.
"The Argentine coach was sent off at half-time in the match against Real Sociedad and will not be allowed on the bench for the Almeria game," a statement published on Barca's official website read.
"FC Barcelona will present no appeal to the Appeals Committee."
The defeat at Sociedad leaves Barca second in the Liga standings, three points adrift of arch rivals Real Madrid.
La Liga Preview: Atleti aim to close gap on Real, Barca hope to bounce back
26 February 2014
Sunday's Madrid derby could go a long way to deciding the destination of the Liga title as Atletico aim to move level with leaders Real.
Atleti suffered a setback in their quest for a first top-flight crown since 1996 last weekend as they fell to a 3-0 defeat at Osasuna.
Fellow title chasers Barcelona also succumbed to defeat at the hands of Real Sociedad, leaving Carlo Ancelotti's men three points clear at the end of the weekend.
But, with 13 matches left to play, all three will still be harbouring hopes of laying claim to the trophy come May.
For Atleti, the first of those fixtures is a home clash with Real, and coach Diego Simeone will be desperate not to allow Ancelotti's side to pull six points clear.
The teams have met on three occasions already this season, with Real currently leading by two wins to one, but a series of unsavoury events in recent fixtures adds even more spice to this encounter.
Sergio Ramos spitting at Diego Costa, Cristiano Ronaldo being struck by a lighter, and Marcelo's allegations of racism against opposition fans are all incidents that have happened in fixtures between the sides over the past two seasons.
Victory for Simeone's charges would see them climb above Real, having also beaten their rivals 1-0 in the reverse fixture back in September.
Barcelona will bid to recover from their 3-1 defeat to Sociedad in a home tie against lowly Almeria.
The Camp Nou outfit can feel confident of a return to winning ways after putting 21 goals past their opponents in the last five meetings, conceding just one in reply.
At the other end of the table, Real Betis will bid to bring a three-match losing run to an end at Villarreal, while Rayo Vallecano host eighth-placed Valencia.
Real Valladolid are without a win in four, but could climb out of the relegation zone with victory over Malaga, who would themselves drop into the bottom three.
Elsewhere, Athletic Bilbao host Granada to kick off the weekend programme on Friday, Espanyol travel to Getafe, and Celta Vigo are the visitors at Elche.
Osasuna and Sociedad will look to follow up their shock victories last time out with triumphs at Levante and Sevilla respectively.
Adriano says Sunday's visit of Almeria will give Barcelona a chance to get over last week's surprise defeat to Real Sociedad.
Despite Sociedad challenging strongly for a UEFA Europa League spot this year, Barcelona's third league reverse of the season still came as a surprise and the result allowed Real Madrid to move three points clear at the summit.
Barca's two title rivals, Real and Atletico Madrid, play each other on Sunday. A win for the latter would give Gerardo Martino's men would have the opportunity to regain top spot with three points against Almeria.
Brazilian full-back Adriano sees Sunday's game as an opportunity to move on from a disappointing defeat last week.
"We are very much looking forward to this chance to turn the page following the game at Anoeta," he told the club's official website.
"All we are thinking about is winning everything from now on."
Gerard Pique, Cuenca and Jonathan dos Santos have all done recovery work in training after picking up slight knocks, while left-back Jordi Alba trained as normal on Friday after a hamstring injury forced him to miss the defeat at Sociedad.
Barcelona thumped Rayo Vallecano 6-0 in their last game at Camp Nou, and struggling Almeria will have to halt a worrying trend if they are to take anything from the game.
Barca have won each of the past five meetings between the sides, scoring 21 goals and conceding just once.
Almeria lie just two places and four points above the relegation zone, having thus far struggled in their first season back in the top flight.
A goalless draw with fellow strugglers Malaga last time out did little to help their cause.
Francisco's men have lost four away matches in a row, shipping 10 goals and mustering just one in reply, but the head coach at least has a fully-fit squad to choose from on this occasion.
A positive result would provide a huge boost to Almeria, especially with the two teams immediately below them, Real Valladolid and Malaga, facing each other 24 hours earlier.
Adriano was on target - together with Lionel Messi - when Almeria and Barcelona last met in September, as the champions ran out 2-0 winners.
Atletico Madrid can claim a first league double over city rivals Real since the 1950-51 season when the two meet at Vicente Calderon.
On that occasion, Atleti went on to claim the Liga title, and Diego Simeone will hope that proves to be a positive omen in an ever-intriguing battle for this year's championship.
Real top the pile in La Liga with 63 points going into the fixture, just three above Gerardo Martino's Barcelona and Atleti, who sit second and third respectively.
Simeone's men triumphed 1-0 in the reverse fixture last September thanks to Diego Costa's goal, meaning Atleti can end a 63-year wait for a league double on Sunday.
To do so, Atleti will have to end a run of six successive league defeats to Real on their own patch, and claim a first home Liga triumph over the Bernabeu outfit since a 3-1 victory in 1999.
Simeone can take confidence from an unbeaten home league record this season, but the most recent encounters between the two sides saw Real cruise to a 5-0 aggregate victory in the Copa del Rey semi-finals in January.
That win went a long way to avenging a 2-1 extra-time defeat to Atleti in last year's Copa final and Carlo Ancelotti's men have been in supreme form in La Liga recently.
The last time the Italian witnessed his side lose a league match was a 2-1 defeat to Barcelona in El Clasico at the end of October.
Since then Real have dropped points on just two occasions and another win against Simeone's charges would cement their title ambitions.
Furthermore, Real head into the encounter on the back of a 6-1 demolition of Schalke in their UEFA Champions League last-16 first-leg encounter on Wednesday.
Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo all notched twice in that match, and the Portuguese returns to league action after serving a three-match ban for a red card in the 1-1 draw with Athletic Bilbao at the start of February.
That means Sami Khedira (knee) remains the only absentee for Real, while Atleti have no any fresh injury worries, as they look for a swift response to the 3-0 defeat at Osasuna last weekend.
