Madrid braced for title showdown

Having already ended their Copa del Rey hopes, Real Madrid CF know another victory against Valencia CF on Sunday will go a long way towards dousing their rivals' Primera División ambitions too.

Full house
There will not be a seat to be had in the Santiago Bernabéu as Madrid put their unblemished home record on the line against the team best placed to usurp them as the champions of Spain. Carlos Queiroz's side have been impenetrable in the capital, scoring 28 goals in eleven successive victories. Should they extend that sequence to 12 this weekend, Madrid will be five points clear of Valencia with 14 matches remaining.

Appeal turned down
In addition to possessing a superior points' tally to Valencia, Madrid will have gained extra confidence from emphatically eliminating them from the cup, winning 3-0 at home and 2-1 away. Madrid built on that victory by seeing off Sevilla FC in the semi-finals, a 2-0 home victory proving enough despite Wednesday's 1-0 loss in Andalusia. Zinedine Zidane was sent off and is suspended for Sunday, after an unsuccessful appeal to have his dismissal quashed.

'Classic confrontation'
Guti is likely to replace the Frenchman, although Santiago Solari also has strong claims. Iker Casillas is certain to keep goal in a match in which over 100,000 spectators will be "guaranteed goals". The Spain No1 continued: "This is a classic confrontation, both teams are revving up for it. We're having a good run and the public are in for a great evening."

'Magnificent player'
Should Ronaldo, Madrid's 19-goal forward, have a great evening then Casillas's opposite number, Santiago Cañizares, could be in for a torrid one against his former employers. Ahead of his 300th Primera División appearance, Cañizares said of the Brazilian: "He is a magnificent player who is at peace in the penalty area. Everyone knows how good he is."

Aimar return?
Valencia's championship victory in 2002 is punctuated by two Madrid triumphs, yet Los Che remain confident that they can claim a sixth Spanish crown this term. Rafael Benítez's side defeated Madrid 2-0 at the Mestalla on 27 September and possess the best away record in the division - having lost just once. They have worries over David Albelda's fitness but Pablo Aimar should return and Fabio Aurelio is back in the frame after a long lay-off with knee problems.