The defending champion will lack three forwards _ Samuel Eto'o, Lionel Messi and Javier Saviola _ as well as midfielder Edmilson for Sunday's visit to Mallorca (GolTV, 1 p.m. ET).

Eto'o, who will be out until February after damaging his right knee in September, has been joined by Messi, Saviola and Edmilson _ all injured in Barcelona's 3-1 victory over Zaragoza last weekend.

Messi broke the fifth metatarsal bone in his left foot and faces a three-month layoff, while Saviola will be out for about six weeks with a thigh injury.

This leaves coach Frank Rijkaard with only three attacking players to accompany Ronaldinho _ Eidur Gudjohnsen, right winger Ludovic Giuly and reserve Santi Ezquerro _ in the remaining weeks of 2006.

Much will depend on Ronaldinho, who scored twice and created the third goal for Saviola against Zaragoza to lift Barcelona back to the top.

The 26-year-old Brazilian _ joint leading scorer in the league this season with eight goals _ said Barcelona shouldn't be too concerned.

``We have to trust in the group. That's always what's most important. We can keep going if we stick together,'' the world player of the year said.

One relief for Barcelona is that midfielder Xavi Hernandez, who hasn't played since the Champions League draw with Chelsea on Oct. 31, is available again.

No. 11 Mallorca boasts the division's tightest defence, having conceded only six goals in 10 games. However, the island side also suffers from the most misfiring attack with just five goals scored.

Barcelona leads with 23 points, followed by Sevilla with 22, Real Madrid with 20 and Zaragoza with 19.

Sevilla will seek an improvement on Saturday (GolTV, 4 p.m. ET) after relinquishing the leadership last weekend with a lacklustre draw at Racing Santander.

The UEFA champion entertains No. 6 Valencia, which has also endured an injury crisis and is winless in three games.

Valencia will again lack Emiliano Moretti, Mario Regueiro, David Albelda, Asier Del Horno, Carlos Marchena and Jaime Gavilan, while Brazilian midfielder Edu is doubtful.

But Valencia defender Roberto Ayala said it would be ``an easy excuse'' to blame the team's slump on its injuries.

``We're sorry when any player gets injured. But we said we were a competitive team, with 25 players who could play at any moment,'' Ayala said.

Santander has Ruud van Nistelrooy to worry about when it visits Real Madrid in Saturday's other game.

The Dutch striker has scored 13 goals in 15 games in all competitions, including four against Osasuna last Sunday which lifted the team into third place.

Van Nistelrooy's prolific form has helped Madrid cover the absence of Ronaldo, who missed the start of the season following knee surgery. The Brazilian is sidelined again with a knee injury which will sideline him until December.

No. 14 Santander _ undefeated in seven matches _ won 2-1 in its last game at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium last December although much has changed at Madrid since then.

Florentino Perez was president, Juan Ramon Lopez Caro was coach and the team that day included Zinedine Zidane and David Beckham.

Perez resigned two months later and Lopez Caro is now in charge of Levante. Zidane has retired, while Beckham rarely makes the starting lineup under coach Fabio Capello.

Zaragoza will be hopeful of bouncing back from the defeat at Barcelona which ended a four-game winning streak.

Its opponent on Sunday is No. 19 Gimnastic Tarragona, which has won just once on its return to the top flight after a 56-year absence.

Also Sunday, it's: Real Sociedad vs. Real Betis; Levante vs. Atletico Madrid (GolTV, 11 a.m. ET); Villarreal vs. Getafe; Deportivo La Coruna vs. Celta Vigo (GolTV, 3 p.m. ET); Recreativo Huelva vs. Osasuna; and Espanyol vs. Athletic Bilbao.