Madrid: Barcelona will attempt to break Real Madrid's unbeaten record against a team they haven't lost to in 14 years.
Barcelona face struggling Rayo Vallecano on Thursday as their bids to become the first Spanish team to reach 35 consecutive games without a loss in all competitions, surpassing the record set by their fierce rival in 1988-89.
Rayo Vallecano has lost nine straight to Barcelona, and their last victory over the Catalan club came in 2002. It has been outscored 23-3 in their last five matches against Barcelona.
Barcelona lead the Spanish league and are comfortably on course for a second consecutive title. Rayo are 16th in the 20-team league, only two points above the relegation zone. Barcelona have won 10 straight in the league. Rayo have two wins in 15 games.
Barcelona earlier this year broke their own club record of 29 games without a loss in all competitions, a mark that had been set by Pep Guardiola's squad in 2011. Luis Enrique's team hasn't lost since a 2-1 result at Sevilla in the league's seventh round.
Real Madrid's record of 34 unbeaten games was set under coach Leo Beenhakker and with players such as Emilio Butragueno and Hugo Sanchez. The run ended in a 2-0 loss at Celta Vigo in 1989.
"The record doesn't mean anything to me right now," said Luis Enrique, whose team has won 28 games and drawn six. "It will only mean something if this streak helps us win titles at the end of the season."
Rayo, which has drawn their last three league games 2-2, have only beaten Barcelona four times, including twice at home in 2002. Neymar scored four goals when the Catalan club routed Rayo 5-2 at the Camp Nou earlier this season.
Here are other things to watch in the Spanish league this week:
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PLAYING FOR PRIDE?
Real Madrid have already given up on the league title after losing at home to Atletico Madrid and dropping 12 points behind leaders Barcelona with 12 games to play.
Players and coach Zinedine Zidane admit that the focus now will be on the Champions League, with the club on the verge of as spot in the quarterfinals after a 2-0 win at Roma.
However, Madrid are in danger of losing third place in the league, which would secure an automatic spot in next year's European tournament. They are only two points ahead of fourth-placed Villarreal going into their game at last-place Levante on Wednesday.
"Before the Champions League we have a game on Wednesday and we have to prepare for that game in order to play at our top level and win," Zidane said. "Our duties and aims are for the next game."
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MOVING UP
Villarreal's impressive unbeaten run in the Spanish league has reached 13 games and left the team in a position to fight for third place.
Finishing third would give Villarreal an automatic spot in the Champions League, avoiding an extra qualifying round.
"To finish third we would need to maintain this extraordinary level and hope that Atletico and Real Madrid play below expectations," Villarreal coach Marcelino Garcia said. "Each step we take is to secure this fourth place, which would be a great achievement."
Villarreal has a comfortable 11-point lead over fifth-place Celta, the team it plays on Wednesday in Vigo.
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RELEGATION FIGHT
The title fight is virtually over but there is still plenty of action near the bottom of the table.
Five teams are within four points of relegation zone, and several matchups between threatened clubs take place this week.
Second-to-last-place Granada host 18th-placed Sporting Gijon on Thursday; 15th-placed Getafe play at 17th-placed Las Palmas on Tuesday; and 13th-placed Real Betis face 14th-placed Espanyol in Barcelona on Thursday.
The bottom three at the end of the season are relegated.
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