30 January 2011
Real Madrid hope their new loan signing Emmanuel Adebayor can help them topple champions Barcelona in the league, although they need their rivals to start dropping some points.
Real trail Barcelona by four points in the Spanish first division and hope to get back to winning ways away from home when they travel to face Osasuna in Pamplona on Sunday.
Madrid dropped two points in a 1-1 draw at Almeria in their last league match on the road, but will take heart from their 1-0 Kings Cup semi-final first leg win at Sevilla on Wednesday.
French striker Karim Benzema came up with the winner for the second successive game to show Togo striker Adebayor, who has signed on loan from Manchester City, that he won’t give up his place easily.
“We are friends and I respect him (Benzema),” said Adebayor. “We are at the same club now and I haven’t come to push him out, but to win titles. We are both strikers and the two of us play for the team to try to win trophies with Real Madrid.”
Madrid boss Jose Mourinho, who turned 48 on Wednesday, had pleaded for a new striker following the injury to Gonzalo Higuain and has landed the muscular Adebayor, who arrives on loan with an option to buy at the end of the season.
The game of the weekend sees third-placed Villarreal travel to fifth placed Espanyol on Sunday.
Espanyol have won eight out of their nine home matches at the Cornella-El Prat stadium and are looking to close the five-point gap on Villarreal.
Valencia, three points ahead of Espanyol in fourth, will probably hope their Champions League rivals draw and they can capitalise with a win at Racing Santander on Monday.
Fixtures
Sunday
Atletico Madrid v Athletic Bilbao (1600 GMT), Osasuna v Real Madrid (1800 GMT), Espanyol v Villarreal (2000 GMT)
Monday
Racing Santander v Valencia (2000 GMT)
2010 AFP
