REAL OUT TO WIN AND PUT PRESSURE ON BARCELONA - All guns blazing

Posted Saturday, November 30, 2013 by Marca.com

A Real Madrid side on the up and up is preparing to receive Real Valladolid, but will be keeping an eye peeled on Bilbao, where Athletic take on a shaken Barcelona side on Sunday. 'Los Blancos' will be seeking to come out on top against the 'Albivioletas' and tighten the screw on the league leaders.

They will be without Cristiano Ronaldo (rested) and Arbeloa (suspended), the hero of the latest European fixture. They are also mired in the internal strife surrounding the figure of Sergio Ramos, unexpected as it is but nonetheless worrying - at least in the short term.

At the other end of the park, Juan Ignacio Martínez's men are heading into the game buoyed by rallying cries of having "nothing to lose and everything to gain" in Chamartín. Fausto Rossi's return to the squad after serving out a suspension and the absence of Patrick Ebert for an accumulation of yellow cards may spur Juan Ignacio Martínez to return to the formation with three midfielders, something which gave him such excellent results at the Mestalla against Valencia.

Nevertheless, the Real Valladolid coach unsurprisingly gave nothing away regarding the manner in which he will approach the game at the Bernabéu.

It is something of a long-shot to imagine that the Castile and León side will be capable of rocking the foundations of the omnipotent Real Madrid, irrespective of the fact the Ronaldo is being rested with a view to future commitments.