Madrid (dpa) - As the old adage goes: when the cat is away, the mice
will play.
Barcelona will be trying on Saturday to take advantage of the absence of leaders Real Madrid to move within one point of them, by beating Cordoba in the Camp Nou.
Real are currently at the Club World Cup in Morocco, trying to
continue their astonishing run of 21 straight wins and become world champions in the process.
Their home match against Sevilla has been put back to January 4.
Real's winning streak has taken them four points above Barca atop La Liga, a lead that the Catalans are keen to reduce to just one.
"We simply cannot afford to drop any more points," veteran playmaker Xavi said.
"The draw in Getafe (0-0 last Saturday) means that we have to just win and win again if we want to catch up with Madrid...There have been a lot of changes this season, starting with the coach. But I think we are on the right track."
Barca have no injuries at all, now that Neymar - whose spark and audacity were sorely missed in Getafe - is fit again.
Cordoba are third from bottom, having scored only 11 goals in their 15 matches.
"We don't have a (Lionel) Messi or a (Cristiano) Ronaldo to bang in the goals, that is true, midfielder Borja Garcia admitted.
"That is why we will have to be very effective with the few goal chances that will come our way. We will have to take advantage of all of them."
Also Saturday, fifth-placed Valencia will visit modest Eibar, while Levante will host Real Sociedad and Rayo Vallecano will take on Espanyol.
The 16th round of matches will kick off on Friday with Celta Vigo at home to Almeria.
Sunday's big game will see third-placed Atletico Madrid away to Athletic Bilbao, whose home form has been patchy this season.
The same as Barca, Atletico cannot afford to drop any more points, after a 1-0 defeat at home to Villarreal.
Atletico coach Diego Simeone will be sweating on the fitness of wingers Arda Turan, who has flu, and Alessio Cerci, who has a pulled muscle.
Atletico are three points behind Barca and seven behind Real.
Sunday will also see Villarreal against Deportivo Coruna, Granada against Getafe and bottom team Elche against Malaga.
Anything less than a convincing win for Elche could prove to be the final nail in the coffin of embattled coach Fran Escriba.
"I am not worried about my own position, but I am worried about the team's form. We need a win to help us to believe in ourselves again," he said.
Barcelona will be trying on Saturday to take advantage of the absence of leaders Real Madrid to move within one point of them, by beating Cordoba in the Camp Nou.
Real are currently at the Club World Cup in Morocco, trying to
continue their astonishing run of 21 straight wins and become world champions in the process.
Their home match against Sevilla has been put back to January 4.
Real's winning streak has taken them four points above Barca atop La Liga, a lead that the Catalans are keen to reduce to just one.
"We simply cannot afford to drop any more points," veteran playmaker Xavi said.
"The draw in Getafe (0-0 last Saturday) means that we have to just win and win again if we want to catch up with Madrid...There have been a lot of changes this season, starting with the coach. But I think we are on the right track."
Barca have no injuries at all, now that Neymar - whose spark and audacity were sorely missed in Getafe - is fit again.
Cordoba are third from bottom, having scored only 11 goals in their 15 matches.
"We don't have a (Lionel) Messi or a (Cristiano) Ronaldo to bang in the goals, that is true, midfielder Borja Garcia admitted.
"That is why we will have to be very effective with the few goal chances that will come our way. We will have to take advantage of all of them."
Also Saturday, fifth-placed Valencia will visit modest Eibar, while Levante will host Real Sociedad and Rayo Vallecano will take on Espanyol.
The 16th round of matches will kick off on Friday with Celta Vigo at home to Almeria.
Sunday's big game will see third-placed Atletico Madrid away to Athletic Bilbao, whose home form has been patchy this season.
The same as Barca, Atletico cannot afford to drop any more points, after a 1-0 defeat at home to Villarreal.
Atletico coach Diego Simeone will be sweating on the fitness of wingers Arda Turan, who has flu, and Alessio Cerci, who has a pulled muscle.
Atletico are three points behind Barca and seven behind Real.
Sunday will also see Villarreal against Deportivo Coruna, Granada against Getafe and bottom team Elche against Malaga.
Anything less than a convincing win for Elche could prove to be the final nail in the coffin of embattled coach Fran Escriba.
"I am not worried about my own position, but I am worried about the team's form. We need a win to help us to believe in ourselves again," he said.
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