Madrid: League leader Valencia will put its unbeaten start to the season on the line when it travels to defending champion Barcelona on Saturday.
Barca striker David Villa is fit to face his former club for the first time since his €40 million ($56 million) move in the off season and will hope to inspire a turnaround in his new club's home form.
Pep Guardiola's side has been beaten by Hercules and held to a 1-1 draw by Mallorca at the Camp Nou this season and trails Valencia by three points in fourth place.
Villa had reported pain in the tendon of his left knee following Spain's Euro 2012 qualifying win over Scotland, in which he converted a penalty, and underwent a series of tests.
But the striker, who spent five seasons with Valencia, trained normally with the rest of the squad on Thursday and Barcelona's medical team expect him to be fit for this weekend's game.
Valencia forward Roberto Soldado denied the match would be a duel between himself and Villa, saying it would be a tactical clash between two teams on top form.
"We don't need to change anything, whether we play a 4-4-2 formation or choose 4-2-3-1. The important thing is that it works well and that we win," Soldado said.
"We just have to bear in mind that we'll be facing a team that plays great football. Like us, they will want to keep possession, and the fundamental thing will be to defend well and then try to hurt them. Above all, we must keep calm."
Keeping Barcelona's forwards at bay will not be easy, particularly as Valencia will be missing defenders Miguel Brito — who has a right leg muscle injury — and Marius Stankevicius, who is out with gastric problems.
Real Madrid, which lies third, travels to Malaga without defender Sergio Ramos, who injured his right knee against Scotland, while second-place Villarreal visits Hercules on Monday.
However, Madrid will have some helpful statistics on its side as it travels south to the Mediterranean coastal city, its last domestic game before taking on AC Milan in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Madrid and Malaga have met on 30 occasions since the home team's formation in 1994, with Madrid winning 13 of the 18 games played at the La Rosaleda stadium and drawing the other five.
Madrid coach Jose Mourinho was giving nothing away about his plans, holding the training sessions on Wednesday and Thursday behind closed doors.
"It will be tough because players have just returned from internationals and after the Malaga match we have to play Milan, who are probably the most difficult opponent we will face in search for the top spot," Mourinho said.
"Unfortunately we haven't had much time to train and Sergio Ramos came back injured, but it doesn't look serious. He might not be able to travel to Malaga, but we will see what happens against Milan."
On Sunday, it's: Racing vs. Almeria; Deportivo vs. Osasuna; Levante vs. Real Sociedad; Mallorca vs. Espanyol; Athletic Club vs. Zaragoza; and Sporting vs. Sevilla.
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