PREVIEW: Barcelona desperate to get back on track after bad week

Sunday cannot arrive quickly enough for Spanish champions Barcelona.

That is when they plan to beat fifth-placed Athletic Bilbao at home - and finish a bad week on a high note.

On Wednesday Pep Guardiola's team crashed 2-1 away to lively Arsenal in the Champions League, last Saturday they could only manage a 1-1 draw at lowly Sporting Gijon, which reduced their lead at the top over Real Madrid to five points.

Left-back Maxwell said straight after the Arsenal defeat that "now we need to think about Bilbao. We need to get back to winning matches and playing well."

The 'Pep Team', as they are known, did play quite well against Arsenal, but Lionel Messi uncharacteristically missed three good chances and keeper Victor Valdes allowed the Londoners to equalize with a costly mistake.

By Sunday, Barca's lead over Real will probably have been reduced to just two points - making a victory for Messi and company even more important - because Real are at home to lowly Levante on Saturday.

For the first time all season, the Real players have enjoyed a matchless midweek, without Champions League, King's Cup or international matches. Jose Mourinho's team, who have won all of their home matches, will be raring to go.

Just for once, Real will be without goalkeeper Iker Casillas, suspended for one game after being sent off in the defiant 1-0 win away to Espanyol.

In his place will be 23 year-old Antonio Adan, who made a promising debut against Espanyol.

Levante, who are sixth from bottom, will go to Madrid looking for revenge for the 8-0 humiliation they suffered there in the King's Cup in December.

Felipe Caicedo, Levante's Ecuadorean striker, said: "This time it is going to be very different from the cup match. We have to go there with anger because of the 8-0."

Third-placed Valencia, for their part, will be at home to Sporting Gijon on Saturday - the day when troubled Atletico Madrid travel to Zaragoza - whilst Villarreal, who are fifth, receive bottom team Malaga on Sunday.

Also on Sunday, Jose Luis Mendilibar will make his debut on the bench of Osasuna at home to Espanyol, whilst Almeria take on Deportivo Coruna, Sevilla face Hercules and Getafe receive Racing Santander.

The 24th round of games will finish on Monday with a midtable clash between Real Sociedad and Mallorca.