Valencia will try to bury its frustration over last weekend's draw with Real Madrid by overcoming FC Barcelona in the standout match of the Primera Division today.
Valencia remains furious about Madrid's injury-time penalty at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium, which allowed Luis Figo to level 1-1 and foil Valencia's hopes of claiming top place.
Yet Argentine defender Roberto Ayala, who scored Valencia's goal in Sunday's game, said his team must now focus on the visit of the in-form Barcelona.
"It has done us damage, a lot of damage. But we mustn't forget that Barcelona is coming, that's what I'm worried about," Ayala said.
The unsatisfactory draw left Valencia trailing two points behind Madrid on 51. Deportivo de La Coruna lies third with 49 points.
Barcelona, which is fourth with 40, has gained five wins and a draw in its last six games and is playing its best soccer of the season.
"Some weeks ago, people said it was impossible for us to reach fourth place and enter into the Champions League zone. Now, however, we're looking at third place," Barcelona midfielder Gerard Lopez said this week.
Barcelona has been hit by the suspension of midfielder Edgar Davids, whose arrival on loan from Juventus in January has been a big factor in the team's improvement.
Brazilian Thiago Motta is set to replace the Dutch international and make his first league appearance since Barcelona's defeat to Madrid on Dec. 6. Striker Patrick Kluivert and captain Luis Enrique Martinez are sidelined.
Valencia may lack its Argentine forward Pablo Aimar, who suffered a thigh strain this week in training. It will also be without suspended right back Javier Garrido and injured midfielder Jorge Lopez, while Argentine defender Mauricio Pellegrino has not been deemed fit since his sudden collapse during the league game with Malaga nearly three weeks ago.
Leader Madrid looks to have an easier game against 19th-place Espanyol today, three days before it renews its quest for the Champions League against Bayern Munich.
However, the defending champion will lack its central midfield pair of David Beckham and Jose Maria "Guti" Gutierrez, who are both suspended. Reserve Borja Fernandez is set to make his eighth appearance of the season as a replacement.
On Thursday, French star Zinedine Zidane extended his contract with Real Madrid by two years to June 2007.
Espanyol was humiliated 5-2 by Malaga last week, and will face Madrid without suspended midfielders Cyril Domoraud and Fredson Camera.
"Victory over Madrid is vital even though avoiding a defeat wouldn't be too bad," Espanyol defender Albert Lopo said. "We need to be concerned about ourselves not Real Madrid."
Third-place Deportivo de La Coruna aims to extend its winning streak to four games and boost its title hopes when it visits seventh-place Atletico de Madrid today.
With Deportivo facing a high-profile home game against Juventus in the Champions League on Wednesday, Javier Irureta used a cycling analogy to describe the forthcoming weeks.
"We are entering the Pyrenees [mountains]. It's a very difficult phase because we have to play Juventus, Barcelona, Valencia, Juventus again, and Mallorca," Irureta said.
Deportivo has defender Noureddine Naybet available after a month's duty with African Cup finalist Morocco, but Atletico has been hit by the loss through suspension of its leading scorer, 12-goal Fernando Torres.
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