Madrid finds form for El Clasico

While Barca was enjoying a perfect start to the Primera Division season, Madrid picked up just one win from its opening four games and for a couple of 24-hour periods found itself a massive 11 points behind Tito Vilanova's men.

That gap is still at eight points going into the seventh round of fixtures this weekend, but reigning champion Madrid at least appears to have put its early-season malaise behind it now.

The midweek 4-1 Champions League win over Ajax was Madrid's fourth successive win in all competitions, while last week it also thrashed Millonarios 8-0 in the Santiago Bernabeu Trophy.

Madrid coach Jose Mourinho, who questioned some of his players' commitment a few weeks ago, said: "Winning these consecutive matches is important for our aims and our confidence.

"The team was focussed (against Ajax), playing at their best with good individual movement and as a team. We played a very good match and we have to keep going.

"We cannot win every match but with this attitude, commitment, and approach to matches, individual quality becomes collective quality and it is normal that the results start to come and that the team improves."

While Madrid is just finding its form, Barca has started life under new coach Vilanova in magnificent fashion with nine wins from 10 games in total, with its only setback being a defeat to Madrid in the second leg of the Spanish Supercopa.

Barca midfielder Cesc Fabregas, who netted twice in last weekend's comeback win over Sevilla and then again in the Champions League triumph over Benfica, sounded an ominous warning to Madrid by claiming: "We're playing better each time we play."

Vilanova, who has lost captain Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique to injuries, added of El Clasico: "I think we're coming into the match on form, at the moment we're playing at a good level, even though I would like to be able to call on all of my players for a match like this."

The game in Barcelona is not the only eye-catching encounter in La Liga this weekend, with second-placed Atletico Madrid hosting third-placed Malaga at the Vicente Calderon.

Along with Barca, those two clubs boast the only remaining unbeaten records in the division and Atletico is only two points off top spot after winning its last five games.

Local pride is at stake both in Valencia, where Los Che takes on city rival Levante, and in the north of Spain where struggling neighbours Athletic Bilbao and Osasuna clash at San Mames.

Osasuna is second-bottom with four points while Athletic, which last season reached the Europa League and Copa del Rey finals, is just one point and one place better off.

Elsewhere, rock-bottom Espanyol heads to Real Valladolid looking to improve on its one-point haul, Rayo Vallecano hosts Deportivo La Coruna, Getafe goes to Real Zaragoza, Real Betis takes on Real Sociedad and Real Mallorca meets Granada.

Also, fourth-placed Sevilla heads to Celta Vigo.