Spanish Football 
/ Michael Lintorn / 28 November 2011 / Leave a Comment 
Real Madrid are now six points clear and strong favourites to win La Liga
"Barcelona have a chance to do some damage limitation on Tuesday when they entertain Rayo Vallecano."
Real Madrid punished Barcelona's first loss of 2011-12, virtually guaranteeing that they will enter the first Clasico of the campaign in top spot.
How can a team who have been flawless on their Champions League travels continue to perform so ineptly on the road domestically? That question is sure to give Pep Guardiola a few restless nights after his side fell six points behind Real Madrid.
Just days after claiming a fifth successive away European victory against Italian champions AC Milan, Barcelona were felled 1-0 in the Spanish capital by lowly Getafe, who had won only two of their first dozen La Liga games.
The occasion marked the title holders' first defeat in 28 matches, but while that unbeaten run deserves plenty of credit, a loss as visitors had been on the cards, albeit appearing more likely to occur on their return to Madrid in a fortnight for the Clasico.
Guardiola's men, who haven't failed to finish first in any of his three seasons as coach, have taken just nine points from a possible 18 away from the Camp Nou, and their two triumphs were 1-0s against struggling Sporting Gijon and Grenada.
Real Madrid negotiated another potentially tricky tie earlier on Saturday with a seventh straight win over neighbours Atletico to extend a lead that on current form they will be optimistic of increasing further when they welcome their rivals.
And having emerged as favourites in the aftermath of their 3-2 success at third-placed Valencia a week ago, they are now clear frontrunners at [1.57], with Barcelona flying all the way out to [2.76].
Barca have a chance to do some damage limitation on Tuesday when they entertain Rayo Vallecano, who have only lost two of their seven away fixtures since promotion, pocketing as many points as the champions.
Victor Valdes and co haven't been breached once at home in domestic action, so it's no shock that they are [1.08] to close the gap to three points. Rayo have been defeated by more than one goal just twice though, so consider opposing Barcelona to win both halves at [1.48].
Tobias Gourlay expects Real Madrid to win the city derby with Atletico as usual, but wonders whether Barcelona will struggle on their trip to the Spanish capital...
Tobias Gourlay expects Real Madrid to increase the gap between the big two and the rest with a win at third-placed Valencia on Saturday night...
It may only be November, but this is already shaping up to be a crucial game in the race for the La Liga title...
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