MADRID, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- Matchday 24 in La Liga sees second and third placed Atletico Madrid and FC Barcelona at home, while Real Madrid has a difficult away trip in the middle of a busy eight days. Here are some things to look out for in Spain this weekend.

1. Squad rotations as Ancelotti prepares for Man City's return leg

Although Real Madrid's 3-2 win away to Manchester City on Tuesday gave the Spanish side a huge advantage in their efforts to qualify for the last 16 of the Champions League, Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti knows that although Manchester City is not what it was last season, it still has a potent attacking threat.

Ancelotti fielded his strongest available side against Atletico Madrid last Saturday and away to Manchester City, so he will be tempted to rest some key players for Saturday's game against Osasuna in Pamplona.

Federico Valverde desperately needs a rest, while Ferland Mendy, Jude Bellingham and Dani Ceballos could all step down to the bench, although Madrid will need to be wary of a rival that has the impressive Ante Budimir leading their attack.

2. Barca a test for Rayo's European ambitions

Rayo Vallecano has to wait until Monday for their visit to play FC Barcelona, but Inigo Perez's side will travel packed with confidence after a nine-game unbeaten run that has lifted them to sixth in La Liga with a real chance of playing European football next season.

Rayo faces a Barcelona side that has benefitted from not having a midweek game, which has allowed Hans-Dieter Flick to rest some key players, so expect Barca to come quickly out of the blocks.

The coming month will be vital to Rayo's European hopes as they face Barcelona, Villarreal, Sevilla and Real Madrid, with three of those teams above them in the table - and that will show us how good they really are.

3. Will Atletico hold their nerve?

If Real Madrid fails to beat Osasuna, Atletico Madrid will have the chance to go back to the top of La Liga after their draw in the Santiago Bernabeu last weekend.

Diego Simeone's side play at home to Celta Vigo, and like Barca, they have also enjoyed the rare luxury of a week without a midweek match to help recover some tired legs.

Celta travels to the Metropolitano after coming back from 2-0 down to claim a vital 3-2 win at home to Betis, which should lift some relegation nerves after a poor run, and they will also have talismanic striker Iago Aspas back after he was on the bench last weekend.

The question is - if Real Madrid drops points, will Atletico hold their nerve to regain top spot?

4. Huge East Coast derby with different things to play for.

Villarreal plays at home to Valencia in the East Coast Derby, and both sides go into the game with very different needs.

Three wins and a draw from their last four matches, where they have scored 12 goals, leaves Villarreal fifth in the table, just four points behind Athletic Bilbao, who has an awkward trip to play Espanyol in the race to play in next season's Champions League.

Valencia's 2-0 win at home to Leganes last weekend gave them a massive morale boost but still leaves them in the bottom three, and they need to take something from the game to climb out of the relegation zone and confirm an improvement under Carlos Corberan.

There is no love lost between the two clubs and with Villarreal's pacy attack, expect Valencia to sit deep in a game that might just get a bit spicy. Enditem

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