Leaders Barcelona play a Celta Vigo side on Saturday whose ‘white flag waving’ in a 2-0 defeat by Madrid in the Bernabeu a fortnight ago suggests more of the same will be served up in the Camp Nou.

Two hours later Real Madrid host a Zaragoza side whose objective this term is to be safe by the last day, thus improving on last seasons effort. After two 5-0 away victories last week both home teams should prevail, possibly by large margins.

The one real ‘match’ in every sense of the word is the late one on Saturday when ‘13 wins in a row’ Atletico Madrid, as no-one is calling them, travel to Valencia to take on the team that has finished 3rd to Barca and Madrid in each of the last four seasons.

In that time La Liga has become used to presenting its newsworthiness by the gap between Barca and Madrid at the top, as the two giants have battled away for the title in their own private league.

Now against all the odds, Argentine coach Diego Simeone, 17 years after he starred in their last title winning team,  has produced a side at Atletico that appears capable of mixing it at the business end of the league.       

Real’s indifferent start mean ‘los blancos’ are 8 points behind Barca in 4th, but Atletico have won every game since their opening day draw at Levante, including 4 cup games and a thrashing of Chelsea in the European Super Cup, putting ‘los rojiblancos’ level with Barca on 24 points.

With Messi and Ronaldo breaking goalscoring records seemingly every week, Atletico’s Radamel Falcao has joined the club, hitting 17 in his last 11 games for club and country, scoring in every one of them.

Trips to Real and Barca in December lie ahead for Atletico, but this is the next biggest challenge, away at a Valencia side that has flattered to deceive so far under new coach Mauricio Pellegrino.

As the Premier League’s sheikhs and oligarchs decide whether to tempt him into a move to England in the January window the Colombian cried on Spanish TV this week, overcome at how his career has taken off and the impact he has made with Atleti this season.

Now the first season defining moment has arrived, Valencia will not be the pushover that last weekend’s opponents bottom side Osasuna were. Recent late wins against the likes of Real Sociedad and Espanyol suggest Atletico have had their fair share of luck on their run, they will need to be sharper in Mestalla.

‘Los che’ have struggled to find consistency in front of their demanding fans but have yet to be well beaten in a season that has already included away games at Barca, Madrid and Bayern Munich.

Having won 3 of their last 4 and sitting back in 11th, this is Valencia’s best chance to ignite their campaign ahead of two important Champions League ties at home. In Roberto Soldado, Jonas Goncalves and Sofiane Feghouli, they have the talent to bring to an end Atletico’s run of victories.

In Falcao Atletico have the potential match-winner, combative and lethal he is always likely to score, an away victory would really mean Atletico were a threat, until they go to Madrid and Barca in December at least.

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About the author
Dermot  Ledwith
Dermot lives and works in Madrid where he watches far too much football as well as all the other sport he can possibly get away with.