Barca, their Champions League ambitions hanging in the balance following their home draw Tuesday with Chelsea, have 19 points from eight games, one more than Seville, who meet lowly Osasuna on Sunday just before Real take to the field at the Bernabeu.

Neither Barca nor Real could be happy with their European form with the former now facing a very real threat of elimination as Werder Bremen come up on the rails. And Real were very ordinary in beating Steaua Bucharest 1-0.

At least that result sent the meringues into the next round and Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy said he would look forward to establishing a partnership with fit again Ronaldo.

"It's up to the boss -- but there will be opportunities to play with two up front," said the striker who missed a penalty against Steaua. "No excuses -- it was a poor kick," he said of his effort blazed off target.

Ronaldo played the final 17 minutes on his own in attack after returning from suspension and injury. He had been due to play Wednesday from the start but coach Fabio Capello revealed he had cricked his neck beforehand.

"He's looking sharp in training and I'm waiting for the opportunity to play alongside him," said van Nistelrooy.

Of his own showings since arriving from Old Trafford in the summer van Nistelrooy said he was relatively happy.

"I've played 12 games and scored seven times so that's a very good return."

Barcelona are set to be without midfielder Xavi Hernandez and midfielder cum striker Eidur Gudjohnsen as they head to the Riazor Stadium to face Deportivo, seventh after losing to surprise package Getafe last week.

Xavi is likely to be out for ten days with a leg injury and Gudjohnsen will not apparently be risked after his ankle strain suffered in the Chelsea game after he had netted his first Nou Camp goal against his former club.

The likes of Ronaldinho and Deco will be asked to assume goalscoring as well as goal-creating duties given that Samuel Eto'o is also on the sidelines, in his case with a knee injury, until at least late January.

Eto'o commentated on the Chelsea match for Spanish television and hurled his headphones and jacket down in frustration after Didier Drogba netted the Blues' late equaliser.

Barca defender Giovanni van Bronckhorst admitted that the Catalan club have one eye on the Champions League ball as they try to get their European season back on track after four points dropped to Chelsea.

The games against Levski Sofia and Bremen will be "like two finals," the Dutchman told El Mundo Deportivo on Thursday.

He added he could understand the fans feeling that "we aren't quite on top of our game.

"But we are confident in our abilities."

In other games, Sevilla, who won the UEFA Cup last season, should see off 15th-placed Osasuna at home on Sunday.

Skipper Javi Navarro warned that "we've had tough games with them in the past -- but we'll go all out to win it" in the Pizjuan stadium.

Real Zaragoza, currently fourth and thus with ambitions of making it into the Champions League next season, take on Getafe in a match where the winner could vault Real if the latter drop points.

Getafe coach is none other than Bernd Schuster, the former German international star who spent most of his club career in Spain, much of it with Real and Barca, two sides he would love to finish ahead of in Primera Liga.

Valencia, who joined Real in the Champions League knockout phase hat, travel to struggling Espanyol for a Sunday encounter looking for the three points by which they currently trail Barca in order to keep in touch.
FIXTURES
Saturday
Levante v Real Sociedad (1900 GMT), Real Mallorca v Atletico Madrid (1900), Deportivo La Coruna v Barcelona (2100)
Sunday
Sevilla v Osasuna (time to be determined), Villarreal v Betis Sevilla, Real Zaragoza v Getafe, Recreativo Huelva v Gimnastic Tarragona, Athletic Bilbao v Racing Santander, Real Madrid v Celta Vigo (1800), Espanyol v Valencia (2000)