MADRID, Dec. 15 (Xinhua) -- Real Madrid are competing in the World Club Championships at the moment and their Liga Santander game away to Leganes has been postponed, but there are still plenty of things to look out for in the 16th round of matches in Spain.
1. How will Barca cope with Deportivo's pressure
Deportivo la Coruna coach Cristobal Parralo was a member of the fabled Barca 'dream team' and although he may not have imposed Johan Cruyff's flowing passing style onto his Deportivo side, he has at least given them some personality after replacing Pepe Mel in dugout slightly over a month ago.
Parralo's Deportivo pressure their rivals high up the pitch, looking to disrupt the way they play the ball out from the back and will probably opt for similar tactics in the Camp Nou on Sunday.
This can leave them open to being hit on the break, but sides who sit back and defend against Barca tend to lose anyhow, so expect Deportivo to look to provoke the errors which will give strikers Lucas Perez and Adrian Lopez the chance of causing an upset a week before Barca visit Real Madrid in the 'Classico'.
2. Griezmann back as Atletico take on an improved Alaves
Antoine Griezmann was in his best form of the season before picking up the muscle injury which caused him to miss his side' s 1-0 win over Betis last Sunday. Anyone who watched the game will know that Atletico's organization allowed them to enjoy less than 30 percent of the ball, but still win, with the goal coming from one of the two shots they had on target.
Diego Simeone's side are obliged to be more pro-active when a rejuvenated Alaves visit the Wanda Metropolitano stadium on Saturday after winning their last two games under Abelardo Fernandez and Griezmann's presence alongside Kevin Gameiro will give them more options in attack, something anyone who suffered last weekend's tedious game will be grateful for.
3. Ipurua challenge for Valencia
If a side is feeling tired there are probably few worse places to visit than Eibar's Ipurua Stadium, where anyone who wants to take a point or more has to dig deep and fight for 90 minutes.
Second placed Valencia lost their last away game in Getafe against a rival whose style is not dissimilar to Eibar's and perhaps it is no surprise Getafe and Eibar drew 0-0 last weekend.
However conditions in the Basque country are likely to be different to those in Getafe a fortnight ago with rain predicted, before and during the game making conditions very different to the bone-dry pitch in the Alfonso Perez Coliseum.
Eibar go into the game with three wins and a draw from their last four games and their confidence sky high, while Valencia are without Goncalo Guedes, Simone Zaza and Jeison Murillo. Zaza's battling qualities will be especially missed, but if it's a cliché to say 'winning games like this can win you the title' that is because it's true and Ipurua will be a key test for Valencia.
4. Basque derby out of or into crisis
Saturday's Basque derby between Athletic Club Bilbao and Real Sociedad pits two local rivals head to head both needing a big win. After a poor start to the season Athletic are showing signs of playing better football and are unbeaten in five games.
Real Sociedad meanwhile have just one win in seven in the league and although their football is at times good to watch, they are leaking goals at a worrying rate.
Basque derbies tend to be tense affairs and with both sides needing a win to pull clear of the danger zone, this will be tenser than ever and with rain forecast in Bilbao, it promises to be epic, if not exactly pretty.
