Real Madrid reduced Barcelona's lead at the top of the Spanish Liga to four points on Saturday with a comfortable 2-0 home defeat of lowly Hercules.
Real have won every home game this season. They will be hoping that Barca slip up away to unpredictable Sevilla on Sunday.
The two-goal hero in the Estadio Bernabeu was French striker Karim Benzema, who has has now scored 11 league goals since taking over from back injury victim Gonzalo Higuain.
Benzema said: "We are now four points behind. Let's hope that Barcelona lose tomorrow. There is a lot of the season left and we are going to work hard to win all our remaining matches."
Real coach Jose Mourinho decided to rest Cristiano Ronaldo, Xabi Alonso and Ricardo Carvalho, ahead of Wednesday's Champions league showdown at home to Lyon.
Even so, the whites dominated from start to finish against a feeble Hercules side that has not won for six games and is now second from bottom.
Benzema made it 1-0 in the 24th minute by turning in a centre from right-back Alvaro Arbeloa, who had been released by the elegant Mesut Oezil.
In the 56th minute Benzema, who has scored in the last three matches, cut in from the left and scored his second goal with a clever drive which went in off the post.
Hercules keeper Juan Calatayud had to work hard to keep the score down to 2-0 towards the end, as his over-worked defence became weary.
Real now have 70 points from 28 games, 16 more than third-placed Valencia, who crashed 4-0 at Zaragoza later on Saturday.
Valencia looked tired and dispirited as a result of Wednesday's Champions League meltdown at Schalke 04 and the rout began after just four minutes, when Jiri Jarosik headed Zaragoza ahead.
Young Ander Herrera made it 2-0 in the 40th minute, captain Gabi completed the thrashing by converting two second-half penalties. Valencia's woes were compumnded by the sending-off of defender Marius Stankevicius.
Their highest win of the season lifts Zaragoza up to seventh from bottom, well above the relegation zone.
Earlier on Saturday, Sergio Aguero scored two classy goals for Atletico Madrid at lowly Almeria but defensive mistakes by the visitors allowed Almeria to force a 2-2 draw.
This result keeps Atletico in disappointing seventh place, one point behind sixth-placed Athletic Bilbao. Almeria, for their part, stay second from bottom, level on 26 points with Hercules.
Almeria and Hercules are three points above bottom team Malaga.
Aguero gave Atletico the lead in the 39th minute by heading in a centre from Yiago, only for Albert Crusat to make it 1-1 four minutes into the second half after a blunder by Atletico defender Luis Perea.
In the 62nd minute Aguero restored Atletico's lead with a handsome low shot after cutting in from the right, but Almeria's Henok Goiton made it 2-2 13 minutes from time by heading in a precise centre from fellow sub Jose Ortiz.
Aguero almost completed his hat-trick at the end with what would surely have been a winning goal, but instead left the field frustrated by the defensive confusion that has cost Atletico so many points this season.
Real have won every home game this season. They will be hoping that Barca slip up away to unpredictable Sevilla on Sunday.
The two-goal hero in the Estadio Bernabeu was French striker Karim Benzema, who has has now scored 11 league goals since taking over from back injury victim Gonzalo Higuain.
Benzema said: "We are now four points behind. Let's hope that Barcelona lose tomorrow. There is a lot of the season left and we are going to work hard to win all our remaining matches."
Real coach Jose Mourinho decided to rest Cristiano Ronaldo, Xabi Alonso and Ricardo Carvalho, ahead of Wednesday's Champions league showdown at home to Lyon.
Even so, the whites dominated from start to finish against a feeble Hercules side that has not won for six games and is now second from bottom.
Benzema made it 1-0 in the 24th minute by turning in a centre from right-back Alvaro Arbeloa, who had been released by the elegant Mesut Oezil.
In the 56th minute Benzema, who has scored in the last three matches, cut in from the left and scored his second goal with a clever drive which went in off the post.
Hercules keeper Juan Calatayud had to work hard to keep the score down to 2-0 towards the end, as his over-worked defence became weary.
Real now have 70 points from 28 games, 16 more than third-placed Valencia, who crashed 4-0 at Zaragoza later on Saturday.
Valencia looked tired and dispirited as a result of Wednesday's Champions League meltdown at Schalke 04 and the rout began after just four minutes, when Jiri Jarosik headed Zaragoza ahead.
Young Ander Herrera made it 2-0 in the 40th minute, captain Gabi completed the thrashing by converting two second-half penalties. Valencia's woes were compumnded by the sending-off of defender Marius Stankevicius.
Their highest win of the season lifts Zaragoza up to seventh from bottom, well above the relegation zone.
Earlier on Saturday, Sergio Aguero scored two classy goals for Atletico Madrid at lowly Almeria but defensive mistakes by the visitors allowed Almeria to force a 2-2 draw.
This result keeps Atletico in disappointing seventh place, one point behind sixth-placed Athletic Bilbao. Almeria, for their part, stay second from bottom, level on 26 points with Hercules.
Almeria and Hercules are three points above bottom team Malaga.
Aguero gave Atletico the lead in the 39th minute by heading in a centre from Yiago, only for Albert Crusat to make it 1-1 four minutes into the second half after a blunder by Atletico defender Luis Perea.
In the 62nd minute Aguero restored Atletico's lead with a handsome low shot after cutting in from the right, but Almeria's Henok Goiton made it 2-2 13 minutes from time by heading in a precise centre from fellow sub Jose Ortiz.
Aguero almost completed his hat-trick at the end with what would surely have been a winning goal, but instead left the field frustrated by the defensive confusion that has cost Atletico so many points this season.
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