Luis Enrique isn't noted as a Barcelona boss who takes any particular match lightly; with the exception of the shocking first leg of the Spanish Supercopa, he has gone for the jugular in every tournament and won the lot so far, and he looks in good shape to repeat the trick this season.Even so,we may get abig insight into his plans for the rest of the campaign when Barcelona take on relegation-threatened Las Palmas on Sunday, just three days before a vitaland much tougherUEFA Champions League clash against Premier League side Arsenal.Crucially, the fixture against Las Palmas also comes just after Barca fulfilled their outstanding Liga fixturetheir 3-1 victory over Sporting Gijon on Wednesday established a six-point lead at the top of the table.Add in the superior head-to-head record against both Real and Atletico Madrid and there's a clear buffer for Barcelona to slip upat least once. Naturally, they will not want to slip up, but they can at least take the risk of it happening and rest a few key players. With the key Champions League fixture upcoming, this game at Estadio de Gran Canaria is the ideal opportunity.The likes of Jeremy Mathieu, Adriano and Aleix Vidal all came in against Sporting in midweek, to mixed results. The latter could certainly be given another chance to impress, with regular right-back Dani Alves struggling for form, while Thomas Vermaelen, Marc Bartra and Arda Turan will also hope for further game time.There's a real battle developing to be first choice in midfield: Ivan Rakitic has seen his best form depart him of late, while Sergi Roberto continues to be trusted and has impressed with regularity, regardless of the role he is handed. It might still be an outside option that he starts the big game against Arsenal, but he can certainly fill a void against Las Palmas.The biggest question of all will be of the front three. They are so tremendously talented that to even see them miss one game is to harm Barcelona's chances, yet rest they must atsomepoint.Maybe not until the gap at the top grows a little bigger, though.Jornada 25FridayLevante vs. GetafeSaturdayLas Palmas vs. BarcelonaEspanyol vs. Deportivo La CorunaReal Betis vs. Sporting GijonCelta Vigo vs. EibarSundayRayo Vallecano vs. SevillaMalaga vs. Real MadridAthletic Bilbao vs. Real SociedadGranada vs. ValenciaAtletico Madrid vs. Villarreal(Kick-off times available viaSoccerway)What to Watch Out for this WeekendPart 1: Battle of the Best DefencesFour of the five best defensive records in La Liga come up against each other this weekend, at La Rosaleda and the Vicente Calderon on Sunday.The warm-up game is Malaga vs. Real Madrid, fourth vs. fifth in the goals conceded tally of the tableboth concede less than a goal per game on average, with Malaga also boasting the second-best defensive record at home, with Carlos Kameni being beaten only seven times in 11 matches.Real's centre-backs have taken it in turns to be important and improbably awful of late, with Pepe, Raphael Varane and Sergio Ramos all managing to put in impressive displays either side of games where each made errors. For Malaga it's all about Raul Albentosa: burly, aggressive and utterly self-assured, he's the composed and reliable pillar next to the combustible wind-up merchant who is Weligton. Between them, they repel most danger on the ground and in the air, but this weekend they're up against La Liga's most proficient attack.The last fixture of the weekend sees the two most impregnable sides: Atletico, with the best defensive record (one conceded every 196 minutes), host Villarreal, the joint-second best (one every 120 mins).Fans of 0-0 draws should probably tune inthere's not likely to be a huge deviation from this scoreline and the reverse fixture ended 1-0 in favour of the Yellow Submarine, thanks to a Leo Baptistao goalagainst the club he is on loan from.It's probably also worth noting he hasn't scored in La Liga since that game.Part 2: Los Che finally turn the cornerIt was some time coming, with only Copa del Rey victories to shorten the winless runs, but Valencia have finally found something of a groove under Gary Neville.A first La Liga victory a week ago saw Los Che come from behind to see off Espanyol, before a midweek 6-0 thumping of Rapid Wien in the UEFA Europa League. The Mestalla club now finally have the chance to put a little run together, facing Granada before a second leg against the Austrian outfit in Europetwo sides Neville and his team have already beaten, with Granada seen off by a 7-0 scoreline on aggregate earlier this year in the domestic cup.Granada are on a horrible run, losing seven of their last eight, and Valencia's squad as a whole must now be confident they can stretch a long-overdue win streak of their ownespecially given the return to the side of first-choice goalkeeper Diego Alves.Player to Watch: Saul, ATMTactically, the Atleti-Villarreal match should be a fascinating encounter, even if it might not prove to be the most goal-laden fixture of the weekend.Atletico ideally need to go for the win to stay in the title hunt, but Villarreal are only two spots behind them in the league tablethis won't be an easy fixture. Even worse, key attacker Yannick Carrasco has been sidelined by injury, so versatile midfielder Saul should take on an even more prominent role.He may be pushed out wide by Diego Simeone to accommodate another holder centrallyMatias Kranevitter most likelyin which case Saul will be expected to not only protect the defence, but also show the other side of his game: surging forward and being creative. He's unexpectedly quick, very skilful and is powerful once on the moveVillarreal will find it difficult to track his runs infield behind the midfield double pivot.If left centrally and Atleti bring in the likes of Oliver Torres to play wider, Saul's surging runs from deep will carry all the more significance: other than starting striker Antoine Griezmann, Atletico's No. 17 is the only player to manage more than five goals this season. Saul is a man in form, a complete midfielder and could prove to be the difference-maker in a tight game at the Calderon.Game of the Weekend: Athletic Bilbao vs. Real SociedadNo doubt providing a unique blend of fervent atmosphere, thunderous challenges and no shortage of quality on the ball, the Basque derby at San Mames should see both teams go into the game with confidence.Athletic Bilbao have overcome a tough start to the season to become a difficult-to-beat side once again; since late November, they have only lost to Atletico, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Sevilla. Even so, consistency is an issue, and they haven't won back-to-back games in 2016 yet.Real Sociedad are a team in form: Only Barcelona can better their current run of three successive wins in La Liga, while 10 points taken from the last 15 have pushed them into the top half of the table as Eusebio Sacristan at last begins to get some regular positive results from his team.As long as both teams don't become overly concerned by the physical battle and game of intimidation, it should prove an exciting encounter and potentially one that could see one of the Basque sides push their confidence and chances of a European spot this season sky high.Predictions and TipsHome wins for Levante, Real Betis, Athletic, Atletico Madrid.Away wins for Barcelona, Real Madrid, Valencia.Both teams to score in ESP-DEP, RAY-SEV, MGA-RMA, GRA-VAL.Follow @karlmatchett
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