Real aims to keep pressure on Barcelona
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Real Madrid will try to keep the pressure on Barcelona with a win on Saturday at Mallorca, which would stretch the advantage at the top of La Liga for Jose Mourinho's side to eight points.
Madrid moved five points clear of its bitter rivals last weekend as a 5-1 win over Granada was coupled with Barca's 1-1 stalemate against Espanyol.
And another three points on Saturday for Real would pile even more pressure on the Catalan side ahead of Sunday's match with Real Betis before the two heavyweights meet up in midweek in the Copa del Rey.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The two-legged showdown in the quarterfinals of the competition will no doubt be a highly-anticipated event, but Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas is trying to keep his team focused on Saturday's task.
"We shouldn't obsess about the tie," Casillas told the club's official website when asked about Wednesday's fixture with Barca.
"The less (we play Barcelona) the better because too much of one thing can be exhausting. We played four games against Barcelona in a short time last year and the same may happen again this season."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Barca owns a 3-1 win over Real Madrid in December, but Mourinho's side bounced back from that defeat to win its next two league matches by a combined score of 11-3.
Real will be without midfielder Sami Khedira because of ligament damage to his ankle, with a return for the Germany international still yet to be determined.
Mallorca has claimed only one win from its last five matches in the league but administered a 6-1 thrashing to Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Barca hosts mid-table Real Betis on Sunday with the visitors bringing a three- game winning streak into the match, while third-place Valencia tries to stay close to the top two when Los Che hosts Real Sociedad.
Levante has hit a rough patch after starting the season in top form with the club winning just once in its last four games and the club travels to Athletic Bilbao, which will aim to stay in the top half of league.
Saturday's other fixtures feature Granada hosting Rayo Vallecano in a clash of bottom-half teams, last-place Real Zaragoza entertains Getafe and Sevilla tries to snap a three-game losing streak when Espanyol visits the Sanchez Pizjuan.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Sunday's action includes Atletico Madrid hosting a Villarreal side that currently sits in the bottom three, Osasuna aims to maintain its place in the top five with a win against Racing, while Malaga carries a four-game winless skid into its road contest at Sporting Gijon.