MADRID, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- The Madrid derby between La Liga leaders Real Madrid and second-placed Atletico Madrid takes center stage in the 23rd round of matches in Spain.
Real Madrid heads into the game one point ahead of their city rivals and four clear of FC Barcelona, who faces a tricky away match against Sevilla on Sunday night.
Carlo Ancelotti's side is dealing with a defensive crisis, with Antonio Rudiger and David Alaba joining Eder Militao on the injury list. This leaves Ancelotti without any specialist central defenders in his first-team squad. Aurelien Tchouameni and Raul Asencio are likely to form a makeshift pairing, with Ferland Mendy at left-back and either Lucas Vazquez or Fede Valverde on the right.
Adding to Madrid's challenges, the team faces a crucial Champions League play-off against Manchester City next week. Ancelotti opted to rest Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham for Wednesday's narrow cup win over Leganes in an effort to keep them fresh for a demanding fortnight ahead.
Atletico, meanwhile, has the advantage of a lighter schedule, having qualified directly for the Champions League last 16 and with no midweek matches until the Copa del Rey semifinals. Diego Simeone's side cruised through the quarterfinals with a 5-0 home win over Getafe on Tuesday, allowing him to rest key players in the second half. Their only absentee for Saturday's derby is suspended central defender Robin Le Normand.
The weekend kicks off on Friday night with sixth-placed Rayo Vallecano hosting bottom-of-the-table Valladolid. Rayo is unbeaten in six La Liga matches, while Valladolid suffered a 5-0 thrashing at Villarreal last weekend. The club was forced to issue a statement denying reports of a dressing-room altercation among players after the match.
On Saturday, Celta Vigo - winless in their last four matches - faces Real Betis at home, hoping for the return of striker Iago Aspas. New signing Antony will also look to build on a promising debut.
Athletic Club Bilbao, content with a point against Betis last weekend, will aim to maintain their four-point lead over fifth-placed Villarreal when they host Girona. Winger Nico Williams is expected to be fit, though midfielder Inigo Ruiz de Galarreta is likely to miss out.
Villarreal travels to Las Palmas, where the home side has slipped back into the relegation battle after collecting just one point from their last four matches.
Barcelona's visit to Sevilla on Sunday is the standout match of the day. With Real Madrid and Atletico facing each other, Hansi Flick's side has a chance to close the gap on at least one of their title rivals.
Earlier on Sunday, two key relegation battles take place as Alaves hosts Getafe, while Valencia faces Leganes.
Alaves, now in the bottom three, is under pressure to secure a win despite receiving public backing for coach Eduardo Coudet earlier in the week. Getafe, meanwhile, rested key players such as Mauro Arambarri, Djene Dakonam, and Borja Mayoral in their Copa del Rey defeat against Atletico.
Both Valencia and Leganes will be affected by their cup quarterfinals, though Leganes will have had 24 hours more to prepare than Valencia, who plays Barcelona on Thursday night.
Real Sociedad looks to improve their home form against Espanyol, while former Osasuna coach Jagoba Arrasate returns with his Mallorca side in search of a turnaround after three consecutive defeats. ■
