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SPAIN NEWS
Picture Cristiano Ronaldo - set to play for Real.

ALL EYES ON THE NOU CAMP

By Mike Perez, Press Association Sport, Madrid

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The Primera Division spotlight falls firmly on the Nou Camp this weekend as arch-rivals Barcelona and Real Madrid go toe-to-toe in the first 'Clasico' of the season.

Madrid head into the match with a one-point lead over Barca at the top of the standings, having leap-frogged the reigning champions last weekend after beating Racing Santander to continue one of their best ever starts to a league season with 28 points from 11 games.

Madrid also look set to be boosted by the availability of world-record signing Cristiano Ronaldo for the match, where the capital club will be eager to avenge their two defeats to Barca last season - including a humiliating 6-2 mauling at home.

Ronaldo was sidelined for almost two months due to an ankle injury, but he returned to action as a second-half substitute in Wednesday night's Champions League win over FC Zurich, and the £80million man is hoping to play a part at the Nou Camp.

"I'm well and of course I want to play in the Clasico, although that is up to the coach. In any case, with or without me, the team are first in La Liga and in their Champions League group," said Ronaldo.

"I want to play to get back to 100% as soon as possible and help the team. I didn't score (against Zurich), but I hope to do in the next game. It doesn't bother me if it's 1-0, 2-0 or 2-1, the important thing is to win.

"It's going to be a very difficult game but we must be ready. It's difficult to play against them, but we also have our weapons and we are going to do things well to try and win."

Madrid's win over FC Zurich lifted them two points clear at the top of their Champions League group, and it was a similar story for Barca after their classy 2-0 triumph over Inter Milan on Tuesday put them two points clear at the summit of Group F.

Barca, the Champions League holders, could have been knocked out of the competition if results had gone against them.

Making their superb win over Inter even more impressive was the fact that they did it without key attacking duo Lionel Messi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Both players had been struggling with injuries prior to the game and although they were both named on the bench, they were not used.

Like with Ronaldo, it remains to be seen what, if any, part Messi and Ibrahimovic will play on Sunday, but Barca defender Gerard Pique is confident his freescoring team-mates will be available.

"I think they will be there. I'm not on the medical team, but I think that they have improved a lot from their injuries and the fact they didn't play against Inter will be very good to help them recover fully," the Spain international told El Mundo Deportivo.

Echoing the words of his former Manchester United team-mate Ronaldo, Pique added: "I don't predict results because then they don't happen. What I want is to win, I don't care if it's 1-0 and in the last minute."

Sevilla and Valencia will both be looking to take advantage of the top two playing each other in what they will consider to be highly winnable home matches this weekend.

Third-placed Sevilla, who are two points behind Barca, welcome rock-bottom Andalusian neighbours Malaga to the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, while fourth-placed Valencia host Real Mallorca.

Mallorca are currently flying high in sixth, but that success is almost exclusively down to their home form, where they have won all six matches this season. On their travels, the Balearic Islands side have taken only two points from a possible 15.

Those two games take place on Saturday, along with Villarreal's trip to Sporting Gijon where the fast-improving Yellow Submarine will look to continue their climb up the standings with a sixth win in eight competitive matches.

The remaining games are on Sunday, with freefalling Tenerife still looking for their first away point when they go to Real Valladolid. Also, Getafe host second-bottom Xerez, fifth-placed Deportivo La Coruna go to Racing, Athletic Bilbao are at Almeria and Real Zaragoza welcome Osasuna.

Sunday's late match is another Madrid-Barcelona affair, with Espanyol travelling to the capital to take on sorry Atletico, who have managed just three wins in their last 18 games - two of which came against minnows Marbella in the Copa del Rey.

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