Barcelona know they cannot afford another La Liga slip up this weekend with the pressure likely to be turned up again if Real Madrid (1/12 in Match betting) win at home to Racing Santander (22/1, Draw 9/1) 24 hours before Pep Guardiola’s men tackle Valencia.

Real Madrid v Racing Santander

Jose Mourinho’s side are in awesome form, having won all seven of their Primera Division matches since the 3-1 home defeat to champions Barca in December.

That has seen Real forge a ten-point lead, threatening to dethrone the Catalan club from their lofty perch for the first time since 2007/08.

Mourinho appears to have fostered this run while being in conflict with key players in his squad, but, with 16 matches to go, Real fans are beginning to count off the 13 wins they need to collect a record 32nd La Liga title.

Opponents Racing Santander are sat in the bottom three, but Juanjo Gonzalez’s side have picked up three useful points in the last three weeks against top six outfits Valencia, Levante and Atletico Madrid.

It would be foolish to discount the Verdiblancos’ chances of upsetting the form book altogether, but their record at the Bernabeu suggests this should be a home win for Mourinho’s men.

There is no value to be had in the match markets by backing a Real Madrid win at 1/12 or 2/9 to be ahead at half and full-time.

But it could be worth a punt on Racing Santander being level at half-time only to lose the match after 90 minutes.

A draw/Real Madrid bet (9/2) would have paid out in each of their last three home Primera Division matches – when they fell behind to Atletico, Real Zaragoza and Levante only to level up before the interval.

Barcelona v Valencia

Barcelona got back to winning ways in midweek with a typical Champions League display against Bayer Leverkusen when they enjoyed a whopping 75 per cent possession in the first half.

Barca led at half-time, courtesy of Alexis Sanchez’s first Champions League goal, for the 14th time in their last 18 European matches, but they conceded straight after the break – highlighting their worrying defensive weakness.

Guardiola must be concerned about the number of goals his side are shipping, eight in six matches since the win at the Bernabeu – costing them five points in the title race.

But they have been better defensively at home, where they have only allowed three opposition goals – so it will be tough for Sunday’s visitors Valencia (9/1 in Match Betting) to add to their problems (Barcelona 1/4, Draw 5/1).

Valencia have had 48 hours less rest than Barca, who played on Tuesday night, after their 1-0 win at Stoke in the Europa League, but Los Che rested key players ahead of the trip to the Nou Camp.

Roberto Soldado will be their main hope of getting a goal against the champions, while left-sided duo Jeremy Mathieu and Jordi Alba have caused havoc against Barca when Brazilian full-back Dani Alves has been exposed defensively.

Guardiola left Alves out of the first leg of their recent Copa del Rey tie and he may decide that Carles Puyol is his preferred choice at right-back on Sunday.

But Barcelona will surely win the game and with some cheeky suggestions that Valencia could pinch second place from them if they continue their domestic decline, expect the home side to be ruthless in their play once more.

Barca to win 4-0 is 10/1 and 5-0 is 18/1 in the correct score market and these odds may look quite generous if Lionel Messi is on his best form.

The Catalan club have won their previous five home league games against Valencia with a combined score of 17-1.

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