Tough match for Barca in Spain's matchday 6

 MADRID, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- FC Barcelona face their toughest test of the season to date on Saturday night when they travel to play an in-form Sevilla.

With Real Madrid not playing until Sunday again, this is another chance for Tito Vilanova's side to open up a temporary 11-point lead over Madrid, but it will be difficult against a Sevilla side unbeaten this season and which has already defeated Real Madrid in the Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium.

Barca are still without central defenders¹ Gerard Pique² and Carles Puyol through injury, and the pair are racing³ to be fit for the 'Classico' against Real Madrid the following Sunday.

Meanwhile there is a chance that Andres Iniesta will have recovered from a muscle injury, while Sevilla will look to the pace of Jesus Navas to trouble the Barca back line.

Real Madrid entertain Deportivo la Coruna on Sunday night and will expect all three points against a team that was beaten by Sevilla last weekend.

The waters appear to have calmed in Madrid following Cristiano Ronaldo's announcement of sadness and the only question appears to be whether or not Mesut Ozil or Luka Modric will start for Madrid.

With European matches during the coming week, most of the Spanish sides in European action play on Saturday: Valencia have had a worrying start to the season and coach Mauricio Pellegrino needs a win at home to Zaragoza otherwise serious questions will be asked of his capacity⁴ to lead the team.

Malaga, meanwhile are unbeaten this campaign and in excellent form. They will hope to take three points off a Betis side which had to play Atletico Madrid on Wednesday and will be without Joel Campbell and Perequis through suspension⁵.

Saturday also sees the Basque derby between Real Sociedad and Athletic⁶ Club Bilbao with Athletic looking to kick-start their season against a side that has won both of its home games.

Granada, who are without a win, but who performed well in the Camp Nou last weekend, kick off Sunday's matches at home to an improving Celta Vigo, who have Iago Aspes as one of the early stars of the season in Spain.

That is followed by Valladolid against Rayo Vallecano with Valladolid looking to end a three-match losing streak⁷ against a team that has been defeated in its last two matches.

Osasuna also look for their first three-point haul⁸ of the campaign with Levante the visitors in El Sadar. Jose Luis Mendilibar's team will be able to welcome back club captain Patxi Punal after a four-game suspension.

Espanyol are in the same situation as Osasuna and face a tough game against Atletico Madrid, who are in form and full of confidence after beating Betis on Wednesday. That win took Atletico top of the table and their only doubt is whether Radomal Falcao will be able to play the full 90 minutes because of a muscle problem.

The round of games concludes on Monday when Getafe take on high-flying Mallorca, who have taken 11 points from their first four matches and have become very tough to beat under coach Joaquin Caparros.

1 defenders   

n.防御者( defender的名词复数 )；守卫者；保护者；辩护者

参考例句：

• The defenders were outnumbered and had to give in. 抵抗者寡不敌众，只能投降。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• After hard fighting,the defenders were still masters of the city. 守军经过奋战仍然控制着城市。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 pique   

v.伤害…的自尊心，使生气 n.不满，生气

参考例句：

• She went off in a fit of pique.她一赌气就走了。
• Tom finished the sentence with an air of pique.汤姆有些生气地说完这句话。

3 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

4 capacity   

n.能力，力量，接受力；容量，能量，容积

参考例句：

• She is employed by the president in an advisory capacity.她被总裁聘为顾问。
• This carriage has a seating capacity of 120 people.这节车厢定员120人。

5 suspension   

n.悬挂，悬浮液，暂缓，未决，中止

参考例句：

• The local authorities decided to build a suspension bridge over the river.地方当局决定在这条河上建一座吊桥。
• A four-day suspension was imposed on her.她被勒令停职4天。

6 athletic   

adj.擅长运动的，强健的；活跃的，体格健壮的

参考例句：

• This area has been marked off for athletic practice.这块地方被划出来供体育训练之用。
• He is an athletic star.他是一个运动明星。

7 streak   

n.条理，斑纹，倾向，少许，痕迹；v.加条纹，变成条纹，奔驰，快速移动

参考例句：

• The Indians used to streak their faces with paint.印第安人过去常用颜料在脸上涂条纹。
• Why did you streak the tree?你为什么在树上刻条纹？

8 haul   

vt./n.（用力）拖，拉，（用车等）拖运，运送

参考例句：

• It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长,到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
• The rope stood up under the strain of the haul.这绳子经受不住紧拉。