It's back to bread and butter for Valencia after headlining the midweek Champions League action and this is where Unai Emery should be trusted to make full use of the depth and equality in his squad.

Real Sociedad v Espanyol
(Saturday 2000 CET)
Raul Tamudo comes up against Espanyol for the first time since moving to San Sebastian in the summer from the club he served with distinction over the past 14 years.

That will undoubtedly be the topic of most conversation going into this game but the action will be worth taking an interest in because it promises to be an interesting clash of styles and one that should tell us about more about the prospects of both sides this season.

Espanyol have built their reputation on defensive solidity under Mauricio Pochettino over the past 18 months and it's clear that little has changed judging by successive 1-0 home wins against Almeria and Osasuna.

However, the Pericos have possessed a much sharper presence in the penalty box following the arrival of Pablo Osvaldo from Bologna in January and they will be hopeful of challenging for the European spots after taking a respectable nine points from a possible 15 so far.

As for Real Sociedad, they appear to be much more creative and looked set for a decent season back in la Primera when collecting four points from the opening two matches and pushing Real Madrid close at Anoeta a fortnight ago.

However, three straight defeats has changed the complexion slightly and they might need to rid themselves of some naivety before they can look to make the most of their attacking threat.

We're inclined to think this will be a pretty even contest with the newly-promoted Basques on home soil and an entertaining score draw might well be the outcome but we're not confident enough in that assessment to make a play.

Valencia v Athletic Bilbao
(Saturday 2100 CET)
It's back to bread and butter for Valencia after headlining the midweek Champions League action and this is where Unai Emery should be trusted to make full use of the depth and equality in his squad.

After being sucker-punched by Manchester United on Wednesday, Los Che can only take the experience on the chin and move on because they will need to be fresh and lively to overcome a very competitive Athletic outfit.

The Basques have a lot going for them under the guidance of Joaquin Caparros and they're progressing into a team that's ready to pounce in the race for the top four if any of the usual suspects should fall below the accepted standard.

However, it's likely that the visitors will set their stall out in search of a clean sheet as their first priority and there appears to be some value in backing under 2.5 goals at a shade above evens.

Both teams boast similar qualities in terms of height and the ability to get quality crosses into the box and while it might benefit them against most opponents; it's possible they could cancel each other out to some extent.

That said, we do expect Valencia to win - just not by much. So punters tuning in who want something a bit more exotic might wish to consider the 1-0 correct score at 7.50, but we're happy enough with a more generic wager on a low goals count.

Barcelona v Real Mallorca
(Sunday 1900 CET)
Standards appear to be slipping at the very top of the Primera Liga and some notable absentees on the Barcelona teamsheet mean the champions could be made to work hard for the points when Mallorca visit the Camp Nou on Sunday.

The big two aren't quite generating the same blistering momentum that we thought had become standard over the past 18 months and it's reflected in the fact Mallorca are only 16/1 for a fixture in which they were chalked up at 22/1 last term.

With David Villa suspended following his moment of madness in Bilbao, it seems Xavi might also be missing for the game against the islanders after being omitted from the Spain squad to face Lithuania and Scotland in this month's Euro 2012 qualifiers.

Reports suggest both club and country have agreed to take the silky midfielder out of the firing line for the next few weeks, giving him what amounts to a mini-winter break after barely putting his feet once over the past three years due to international commitments and his excellent fitness.

However, the good news for Barca is that Lionel Messi looks set to return, so we're not about to take a speculative punt on the visitors causing an upset when he's around the weave his magic.

For those looking to play the game, we'd probably be inclined to suggest dutching the 1-0 and 2-0 correct scores at around 7.50.



Real Madrid v Deportivo
(Sunday 2100 CET)
Jose Mourinho lost his rag with the Spanish press in midweek, prompting him to take training behind closed doors and put a block on media access to player interviews, so it's imperative that Real Madrid deliver a convincing performance on Sunday if they want to avoid a rough ride.

The players are clearly under strict instructions from the Portuguese coach in terms of how they operate on the field because the individualism that has allowed them to rack points almost at will is now lacking, with no better illustration than the performances of Cristiano Ronaldo.

It's a brave stance by Mourinho but one he knows can only benefit the team in the long run if they are to shed the flat-track bully mentality and genuinely challenge Barca's dominance and become a superpower once again on the European stage.

Needless to say, there's no real value in the home win at 1.16 and although it seems nigh on impossible to imagine Deportivo scoring a goal based on the fact they haven't managed one from open play yet this season, odds of 1.50 are also a tad short on the clean sheet front.

So those looking for a speculative interest would probably be best advised to place their interest in the correct score market where the 1-0 and 2-0 outcomes appear most likely.

Indeed, if you're set for a quiet Sunday night in front of the telly, it could do no harm to throw some loose change on the four different combinations of 1-0 and 2-0 correct score doubles in the games involving both Madrid and Barca, with a winner paying somewhere in the region of around 51.00

Best of the rest:
Gregorio Manzano faces tough opposition in his first league game as the new Sevilla boss when Atletico Madrid travel to the Sanchez Pizjuan on Sunday, but we believe his players will step up to the challenge at 2.20.

The repeat of last season's Copa del Rey final promises to be a fascinating tussle and it comes as quite a shock that the Spanish TV companies haven't selected this for prime-time viewing with their options limited by both teams' involvement in Thursday night's Europa League action.

Nonetheless, it's a game that deserves our special attention because we fancy the hosts can get back to their best and there's also value to be found in the Sevilla/Sevilla double result at 3.50.

Admittedly, it's a bet we wouldn't have considered prior to Manzano's appointment because we've been rather impressed with what we've seen of Atletico to date.

However, there's no escaping the fact there's no shortage of talent in the home dressing room and although the attitude of the players was questionable under Antonio Alvarez to say the least, we fancy them to make a good impression on their new gaffer.

Besides the air of authority Sevilla already carry over the Colchoneros following their cup triumph in Camp Nou last May, they also come into this game buoyed by an excellent 1-0 win over Borussia Dortmund in Germany, which came as Atletí were being held by Leverkusen in the Calderon.

Meanwhile, we still haven't totally got to grips with the new-look Malaga just yet but the picture is becoming clearer with each game and the one thing we can say is that they're certainly not dull.

The Costa del Sol outfit have tasted defeat in all three home games but triumphed on the road twice and though it's easy to assume their players are better suited to playing on the counter away from home, the trend might be down to little else other than the standard of opposition.

Home games against Valencia, Sevilla and Villarreal would appear to be markedly tougher than away games against Zaragoza and Getafe based on what we've seen so far and Sunday's trip to Almeria appears to stretch the symmetry.

It was hoped that Juanma Lillo's menwould stray into value before pulling out a big result on the back of their embarrassing home defeat to Levante because we knew they had it in them.

However, it arrived at Deportivo last weekend when 11/4 wasn't quite big enough to tickle our fancy in relation to the task but we will reinforce the view that we like the attacking options they possess for such an unfashionable outfit.

With that in mind, we'll take a punt on Sunday's clash at the Estadio Juegos Mediterraneos producing over 2.5 goals at better than even-money.

Malaga's concession of 11 goals in five matches is enough to indicate that the likes of Albert Crusat and Pablo Piatti will have some joy in carving the visitors open, while the likes of Jose Rondon, Quincy Owusu-Abeyie and Eliseu will continue to wreak havoc with their pace at the other end.

PICKS:
Under 2.5 goals Valencia v Athletic Bilbao at 2.00 at Bet365
Over 2.5 goals Almeria v Malaga at 2.00 at Bet365.
Sevilla to beat Atletico Madrid at 2.20 at Bwin.
Sevilla/Sevilla double result at 3.50 at Bet365