Barca tests unbeaten start at Rayo

Madrid, Spain (SportsNetwork.com) - It's the same old story for Barcelona heading into a fresh round of La Liga fixtures.

The Catalans are unbeaten through six league matches, a streak they will hope to extend with a positive result at Rayo Vallecano on Saturday.

Barcelona cruised to a resounding 6-0 victory over Granada in its last league outing. The Catalans have yet to concede a goal in league play, but it is the budding partnership between Neymar and Lionel Messi that is stealing the majority of the headlines.

"In football, you never know when things happen but due to his quality it is obvious that Neymar is going to be the best in the world," Messi said of his Brazilian teammate on Thursday. "He is a great player and it is a pleasure to share a pitch with him.

"I have a great relationship with him and we get on well both on and off the pitch."

Both players scored in Champions League action on Tuesday, but PSG managed to break the seal in Marc-Andre Ter Stegen's net to get a 3-2 home victory at the Parc des Princes and hand Barcelona its first loss of the campaign.

Now, the Catalans must regroup in time for a potentially stiff test against a Rayo Vallecano side that has taken eight points through six games, leaving the club in the top-half of the table.

Perhaps the most intriguing match of the weekend will take place at the Mestalla on Saturday as Valencia will play host to Atletico Madrid.

The two clubs enter the weekend tied for second place on 14 points apiece, meaning that a win for either side would be enough to claim top spot should Barcelona suffer defeat at the Campo de Futbol de Vallecas.

Also on Saturday, Eibar will host struggling Levante, Elche will travel to Almeria and Malaga will welcome Granada to La Rosaleda.

Real Madrid had been flying in recent weeks while scoring goals for fun, but the club only managed to get a 2-1 win at Ludogorets in Champions League action on Wednesday with the winning goal coming from Karim Benzema in the final quarter of the match.

The Galacticos will hope to return to top gear on Sunday when they host Athletic Bilbao at the Bernabeu.

Sevilla comes into the weekend in fourth place on 13 points, and the club will look to build off of its dramatic point in Europa League play when it hosts Deportivo La Coruna on Sunday.

Elsewhere in the Spanish top flight on Sunday, Espanyol will play host to Real Sociedad while Villarreal will head to Celta Vigo.

Friday's lone La Liga fixture saw Baba Diawara score two minutes from time to help Getafe salvage a point from a 1-1 draw with Cordoba.