La Liga Previews: Real near full strength
MADRID - Brief news from the Primera Liga ahead of this weekend's matches:
Apart from the tonsillitis-stricken Gonzalo Higuain (pictured), Real Madrid coach Juande Ramos has a full squad available for Sunday's home match against Villarreal, the Primera Liga champions said on their website.
Defenders Pepe, Gabriel Heinze and Christoph Metzelder and midfield pair Rafael van der Vaart and Wesley Sneijder have recovered from various ailments and are fit, while new signings Klaas Jan Huntelaar and Lassana Diarra could also feature.
Villarreal will be looking for their 500th Primera Liga goal at the Santiago Bernabeu, where they have never won since they joined Spain's top division in the 1998-99 season.
"Playing at Real Madrid is very tricky but I think we can get a positive result and win," striker Giuseppe Rossi said. The Real stadium was also where Gica Craioveanu scored their first goal in the top flight in August 1998.
Real midfielder Guti, one of the club's captains, said Villarreal were definite candidates to win the league this season but insisted Real could still defend their title despite a 12-point gap to Barcelona.
"We are the current champions and we have to keep playing that way," he told reporters. "It's a big gap but we still have a chance."
Villarreal winger Santi Cazorla has quashed rumours suggesting he was poised to leave the club, telling reporters he wanted to remain there for "many years".
Get FourFourTwo Newsletter
The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.
"The club is getting bigger every day and has great ambition," the Spain international said. "It's a privilege to be here for me and all my colleagues."
Atletico Madrid striker Diego Forlan said the club's rivals were living in fear of their formidable attacking line, including himself and strike partner Sergio Aguero and wingers Simao Sabrosa and Maxi Rodriguez.
"It's true that we are capable of scoring a lot of goals," the Uruguayan said in an interview with Marca newspaper ahead of their trip to Valencia on Saturday.
Atletico's Portuguese midfielder Maniche and captain Maxi will both be absent against Valencia, coach Javier Aguirre told the club's website.
Aguirre added that the club wanted to focus on the league and did not want to be distracted by the King's Cup. They are in third place in the standings and host Barcelona in the first leg of their last-16 cup tie next week.
Valencia could sell striker David Villa and winger David Silva to help ease their financial difficulties if they receive "an exorbitant offer", club official Fernando Gomez Colomer was quoted as saying on Friday.
"Whatever offer comes in we will have to study it although the idea is not to have to sell David Villa or David Silva," he was quoted as saying by Britain's Independent newspaper. "It would have to be an exorbitant offer."
Barcelona's Brazilian defender Silvinho said he has no plans to leave in the winter transfer period and is happy to see out his contract, whic