MADRID, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- Matchday 21 of La Liga this weekend will be influenced in many ways by the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey, given that it falls midway between the two-legged ties that will decide the semifinalists of that tournament.
Sevilla kick off the weekend off the back of a 2-0 win over Barcelona on Wednesday night and coach Pablo Machin will have to decide whether he reserves his strongest 11 for next week's return leg in the Camp Nou, with a match against Levante the meat in that particular sandwich.
Levante have not had the best of starts to 2019, but last weekend saw them return to winning ways at home to Valladolid.
Saturday's next game promises to be a tactical affair, as second-placed Atletico Madrid, who were knocked out of the last round of the cup, play at home to Getafe.
Getafe are in a fine run of form which has taken them to sixth in the La Liga table and saw them take an important step towards the semifinals of the cup with a 1-0 home win against Valencia on Tuesday.
Boss Pepe Bordalas will have to weigh up his options as he looks to make history in both league and cup with his squad.
Leganes face Eibar in a game which neither team can afford to lose if they want to escape the relegation zone, although Eibar's 3-0 win at home to Espanyol on Monday gives them some breathing space.
One man who doesn't have much breathing space is Valencia boss Marcelino, who heaved a big sigh of relief when his side won away to struggling Celta Vigo last weekend, only to have the carpet whipped away from under him at Getafe on Tuesday.
Los Che have a local derby against second from bottom Villarreal, and failure to beat their neighbors will again pile on the pressure.
A win, however, would set Valencia up nicely for the second leg of the cup next week and put them in contention for a place in the top six, such is the congestion in mid-table.
Sunday kicks off with a match betwen Valladolid and Celta, both of whom have tumbled towards the danger zone. Celta will hope to have striker Iago Aspas back after injury to give them some spark in attack.
League leaders Barcelona, who were chastened by a 2-0 cup defeat to Sevilla, make a short trip to face Girona. Fans will no doubt remember that this was the game La Liga had originally wanted to be played in Miami, but Girona's Montilivi Stadium will instead host a match that the home supporters will no doubt enjoy watching without the need of a transatlantic flight.
Barca coach Ernesto Valverde rested Lionel Messi in Seville, but the striker will be back on Sunday and it will be interesting to see if there is a place in the squad for new arrival Kevin-Prince Boateng.
Real Sociedad will expect to beat bottom of the table Huesca to consolidate their place in the battle for Europe, while Athletic Bilbao aim to continue their impressive recovery under Gaizka Garitano when they entertain Real Betis.
Betis play Espanyol in thecCup on Thursday, while Espanyol play Real Madrid on Sunday in a key game for coach Rubi.
Madrid impoved last weekend at home to Sevilla, while Espanyol's 3-0 defeat to Eibar means they have lost eight out of their last nine league games, and bad results in the cup and against Real Madrid could well see Rubi out the door.
