PREVIEW: Barcelona planning record-breaking 16th straight win

Barcelona are planning to establish a Spanish league record of 16 straight wins on Saturday, by beating troubled Atletico Madrid at home.

   Pep Guardiola's in-form team have already equalled the record of 15 consecutive wins set by Real Madrid in 1960/61 season. Now they are determined to go one better than Alfredo Di Stefano, Francisco Gento and company.

   Striker David Villa said: "The record is important for us...But what is more important is to carry on winning and continue this good form of ours."

   On Wednesday a reserve-packed Barca side cruised into the final of the King's Cup with a 3-0 win at Almeria. In the April 20 final they will meet Real Madrid, just four days after the April 16 league Clasico between the big two in Madrid.

   Atletico, unlike Barca, are in horrible form, having lost their last three games. Even so, they are an unpredictable outfit, and strike pair Diego Forlan and Sergio Aguero have caused many problems for Barca over the years.

   Barca are seven points ahead of second-placed Real Madrid, who booked their place in the cup final on Wednesday with a tedious 2-0 home defeat of Sevilla.

   On Sunday Real will be at home to midtable Real Sociedad, and anything less than a convincing win will be greeted with jeers by the Estadio Bernabeu.

   The whites will be without German midfielder Sami Khedira, who suffered a knee injury at the end of the Real-Sevilla clash.

   Real coach Jose Mourinho will be tempted to rest several first-teamers against Real Sociedad because his team is looking weary as a consequence of playing two matches per week since September. On Tuesday Mourinho said the players were not used to such an intense schedule.

   Six other matches are scheduled for Saturday, in addition to the Barca-Atletico clash.

   Third-placed Villarreal - who are six points behind Real Madrid - will be at home to local rivals Levante, Almeria receive Espanyol, Zaragoza take on Racing Santander, Athletic Bilbao face Sporting Gijon, Getafe receive Deportivo Coruna and Osasuna play hosts to Mallorca.

   The other two games on Sunday, in addition to the Real Madrid-Real Sociedad game, are local derbies Valencia-Hercules and Sevilla-Malaga.

   Malaga are bottom of the table despite having splashed out on six new players in January. Sevilla, who are in disappointing eighth place, will make the trip in poor heart after Wednesday's cup exit in Madrid.