Although Schuster was given a tepid vote of confidence by Real Madrid's Director of Sport Pedja Mijatovic following last weekend's defeat to Valladolid, Mijatovic added that he could not say what would happen should Madrid fail to beat a Recreativo side in the relegation zone.

There will be a tense atmosphere in the Santiago Bernabeu stadium, while Schuster is without key players Arjen Robben, Gabriel Heinze and Ruud Van Nistelrooy.

League leader Barcelona does not play until Sunday evening. PepGuardiola's side is clear favorite to take an easy win against a side who are in danger of being thrown into a relegation fight.

Barcelona striker Samuel Eto'o will be looking to add to his total of 13 league goals, 11 of which he has scored in the Camp Nou stadium.

Villarreal meanwhile aims to keep the pressure on Barcelona when they play Valladolid. However, Manuel Pellegrini's team will have one eye on next week's Champions League tie against Manchester United and is without striker Joseba Llorente due to his torn hamstring.

Sevilla and Valencia also test each other's title credentials on Saturday night as they go head to head in the Sanchez Pizjuan stadium. Sevilla look to have got over a recent dip in form with the return of strikers Freddy Kanoute and Luis Fabiano, while Valencia looks to recover after a 3-2 home defeat to Sporting Gijon last Sunday.

At the bottom of the table, Osasuna desperately needs their first win of the season when they entertain Almeria. Jose Antonio Camacho's side have only scored three goals all campaign and failure to win would see them falling adrift in last place.

Deportivo La Coruna hopes to bounce back from a 4-1 setback in the Vicente Calderon against Athletic Club Bilbao. Former Athleticgoalkeeper Dani Aranzubia is certain to be out to impress against his former club, while Athletic, currently third from bottom, has to build on run of four points from two games.

Sporting Gijon and Betis each look to continue their recent form in the El Molinon stadium in Gijon. Sporting has won five of their last six games and are in the top half of the table, while Betis have also made steady progress following a poor start.

Racing Santander faces Espanyol with the visitors in freefall following a home defeat to Numancia and their coach Tintin Marquezcould lose his job if his side lose again.

Finally Mallorca entertain a Malaga side that has taken just one point from three games, although that was a creditable draw against Villarreal.