MADRID, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- Spain's matchday 21 sees Real Madrid make a short trip to play bottom side Real Valladolid, while Atletico Madrid has a tricky home game against Villarreal, and Barcelona has a match that may look easier on paper than it turns out to be on the pitch. Here are four things to look out for this weekend in La Liga.

1. Real Madrid too good for Valladolid despite likely changes

Real Madrid travels to Valladolid in arguably their best form of the season, after overcoming a humiliating Super Cup defeat to FC Barcelona.

Carlo Ancelotti's men hit five against Red Bull Salzburg in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday to ensure a place in the play-offs for the last 16, and they have an outside chance of reaching the top eight next week if they win against Brest and results elsewhere go their way.

With that in mind, Ancelotti has to decide whether to rest players such as Federico Valverde, Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe for a game his side should win relatively comfortably, or to focus on ensuring three points in La Liga.

One player who really needs a break is Antonio Rudiger, and David Alaba could replace him as the Austrian returns from a long injury lay-off.

2. Villarreal to test Atletico

Although Atletico Madrid currently sits fifth in the Champions League, they need to win in Salzburg next week to ensure they avoid the play-offs, and coach Diego Simeone has to make a similar decision to Ancelotti. The problem for Simeone is that Atletico play at home to a dangerous rival in Villarreal, fifth in La Liga and playing attractive football.

Atletico is currently two points behind Real Madrid and won't want to drop further behind their city rivals, especially with a visit to the Santiago Bernabeu a fortnight away. That means Simeone has to field his strongest side against a rival that has the talents of Spanish trio Gerard Moreno, Alex Baena and Ayoze Perez in attack.

3. Can Barca find European and Cup form in La Liga?

FC Barcelona destroyed Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup, cruised into the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey, and on Tuesday produced a thrilling comeback from 4-2 down away to Benfica to win 5-4 and ensure their place in the last 16 of the Champions League.

However, things have been completely different in La Liga, where last weekend's 1-1 draw away to Getafe leaves them with just one win in their last eight league matches, with four defeats and three draws seeing them drop 18 points from the last 24.

Valencia is next up in Montjuic and although on paper it should be three points against the 19th-placed side, Valencia has improved under new coach Carlos Corberan and will be harder to beat now than one month ago.

So the question is simple: Will we see the all-conquering Cup-winning Barca, or the timid Barca from La Liga?

4. Can Sancet kick-start irregular 2025 for Athletic Bilbao?

It's been a frustrating start to 2025 for Athletic Bilbao, who have started to look vulnerable despite moving level on points with FC Barcelona after a 2-1 win away to Celta Vigo last weekend.

The new year saw the Basque side's 15-game unbeaten run end in a Super Cup semifinal defeat to Barcelona, before their Copa del Rey title defense ended with a 3-2 loss at home to Osasuna, and they suffered a 4-1 UEFA Europa League setback away to Besiktas on Wednesday.

Athletic lost influential midfielder Inigo Ruiz de Galarreta to a muscle injury in Turkey, but will hope to have top scorer Oihan Sancet back when they entertain Leganes on Sunday.

Sancet gives Athletic an extra dimension in attack and he would be a big help against a rival that is battling to avoid relegation but has beaten Barcelona and Atletico Madrid. Enditem

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