MADRID, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) -- Matchday 15 of the Liga Santander sees league leaders FC Barcelona face one of their toughest tests of the season while Real Madrid's recent form will be tested away to Alaves. Here are some things to look out for this weekend in Spain.
1: Will the Wanda be magic or tragic for Barca?
FC Barcelona's troubles away from the Camp Nou this season are well known and their 2-1 win against Leganes last weekend did nothing to raise doubts about their performances on the road.
Ernesto Valverde's men produced one of their best displays of the season when they defeated Borussia Dortmund 3-1 in the Camp Nou on Wednesday, but the question is will they be able to repeat that display away to Atletico Madrid?
Atletico haven't been at their best this season, but even without Jose Gimenez they are still tough to break down and will be a severe test for Barca. Added to that is the drama of Antoine Griezmann's return to face his former club and he can expect to receive a less than friendly reception from the Atletico fans.
2: Alaves another test for Real Madrid
Real Madrid have been the most in-form side in LaLiga in recent weeks with an excellent 4-0 win away to Eibar a fortnight ago following by a 3-1 victory at home to Real Sociedad last weekend.
Zinedine's men also played some excellent football in their 2-2 draw at home to Paris Saint Germain on Tuesday, but what was arguably their best 60 minutes football of the campaign was ruined by an ankle injury to Eden Hazard and two late defensive lapses which allowed PSG to steal a draw.
Alaves have lost only once at home this season and have strikers Lucas Perez and Joselu scoring almost at will; a win in Vitoria would be three big points for Madrid.
3: Basque derby for Real Sociedad to bounce back
Three weeks ago Real Sociedad could have gone to the top of the table, but a 1-1 draw at home to bottom of the table Leganes was followed by defeat to Real Madrid last week and the San Sebastian based club has dropped to sixth (behind local rivals Athletic Club).
Sunday afternoon sees them play a Basque derby at home to an Eibar side that has still to produce the form that usually makes them so tough to beat and Eibar make the short trip on the back of two home defeats that leave them too close to comfort to the relegation zone.
On paper, it looks like a good chance for Portu, Willian Jose and Martin Odegaard to get back to winning ways.
4: Can Valencia run Villarreal into the ground?
Villarreal have struggled in recent weeks with just one point from 12, while Valencia have won two out of their last three games. Valencia also performed well at home to Chelsea in the Champions League, where only some woeful finishing from Maxi Gomez and Rodrigo cost them a win that would have taken them into the next round of the competition.
Wednesday's game saw Valencia's players cover a collective 112 kilometers of the Mestalla pitch and if they are able to reproduce that effort, coach Albert Celades (who has been accepted after the harsh sacking of Marcelino) will be optimistic that Villarreal's playmaker Santi Cazorla won't be able to work his magic and the points will stay in Mestalla.
