La Liga Preview: Injury-Hit Barca Looking to Preserve Their Lead

Deportivo la Coruna vs. Real Madrid

Real Madrid will be looking to continue their run in the La Liga, even though they had to endure a miserable draw against Lyon in the Champions League. Karim Benzema came off the bench to score for Real Madrid, and he could be in line for a start against Deportivo la Coruna.

Emmanuel Adebayor started the match in the Champions League, but was disappointing throughout the match. He is expected to pay for his poor performance by having to sit on the bench, which will certainly be giving Real Madrid some threat up front.

They will need this, especially given that Barcelona plays earlier than Real Madrid. Hence, the five-point gap that currently exists between the two sides could extend to as much as eight points by the start of Real Madrid's match.

Deportivo La Coruna has been struggling lately and find themselves just three points from the relegation zone. Sami Khedira will not be available for Real Madrid after he sustained an injury that will keep him out for more than a month. Andres Guardado will be returning for Deportivo and he is expected to play a major role for the hosts.

Mallorca vs Barcelona

Barcelona will be looking to take advantage of their return to form with their significant win over Athletic Bilbao, by extending their lead over Real Madrid to a massive eight points once again. They could do so because of the fact that they will be playing ahead of Real Madrid this weekend.

They will be facing a Mallorca side that has been in pretty poor form for the last few weeks, even though they did put up a strong fight against Real Madrid a few weeks ago. Barcelona's season looked to be shaky after the defeat to Arsenal, but they seemed to have found some stability with the victory over Athletic Bilbao.

The biggest worry for Pep Guardiola will be the number of players that he is missing due to injuries and suspension. Carlos Puyol, Victor Valdes and Dani Alves are some of the important players missing for the Catalans, but Barcelona has such a strong squad that they could still win comfortably despite the injuries.

Victor Casadesus and Ivan Ramis will be the players missing for Mallorca.

Joe - livescoredaily.com - live scores