Celta 0 - Atlético de Madrid 1

Celta: Pinto; Vivas, Cáceres, Sergio, Tomás; Makelele, Giovanella; Karpin, Mostovoi, Gustavo López; McCarthy. 4-2-3-1.
Atlético: Molina; Gaspar, Gamarra, Santi, Capdevila; Roberto, Bejbl, Hugo Leal, Solari; Valerón; Kiko. 4-4-1-1.

Team changes: Celta: Tomás, Mostovoi, McCarthy for Velasco, Revivo, Turdó / Atlético: Roberto, Valerón for Aguilera, Hasselbaink.

Goals:
0-1. 26. Solari won ball off Vivas and crossed for Valerón to score.

Atlético Madrid proved a much harder nut to crack than everybody thought, spoiling many people's pools forecast by winning away at Celta. The fact that Atlético did so without their top goal scorer Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, was more to their credit, and this was the first match that they have won all season without him scoring. The Dutch striker was, remember, serving a two match suspension for elbowing Real Sociedad defender Gurrutxaga, a fact which was not picked up by the referee but was by TV cameras at the ground. In his absence Ranieri opted to play Kiko alone up front, with Valerón preferred to Correa in the slot behind him. Celta had problems forming a defensive line up, and with Velasco suspended and Juanfran, Berges and Djorovic all out, Víctor Fernández switched new signing Vivas to the right and brought in midfielder Tomás as makeshift left back. Mostovoi returned after suspension and with Turdó also injured, Benni McCarthy was given another chance up front. Dutruel was once again left out of the side having announced that he will be leaving at the end of the season, and he was jeered by his supporters as he took his place on the sub's bench. Vivas has not yet had much time to settle in, and he was caught napping by fellow Argentinian Solari in the first half, who quickly squared the ball to leave Valerón with an easy tap-in. With Hugo Leal growing in stature every match, Atlético dominated the game, and apart from a shot by Karpin against the post just after half time, Celta were not really in the game. Fernández brought on Celades and Revivo at half time, and a few minutes later introduced Hoogendorp to partner Benni up front, but they made no impression. Juanma López, one of the hard men of Spanish football, reappeared for Atlético thirteen minutes from time after a two year absence from the league through injury, and he had time to make his mark, picking up a yellow card and seven stitches to a head wound in his few minutes on the park. Another player returning from injury, Argentina's Oscar Mena, travelled with the squad, although in the end he had to watch the game from the stands. The result did a world of good for the Madrid team, with the court case continuing on throughout the week. Three of the four foreign players transferred from Jesus Gil's private company to the club for exorbitant fees made their declarations, and although claiming to be footballers (there was some doubt), they felt that the price paid was way over the top given that they were not top level players. Meanwhile more of the first team squad expressed their intentions to leave the club at the end of the season. At the moment however they climb out of the danger zone to thirteenth place, but with things so tight this year any slip up could drop them back into the mire. Celta meanwhile are going through a bad patch, but thanks to bad results from the teams below them hold on to fourth place.

Real Madrid 3 - Athletic de Bilbao 1

Real Madrid: Casillas; Michel Salgado, Karanka, Hierro, Roberto Carlos; McManaman, Sanchis, Redondo, Guti; Raúl, Morientes. 4-4-2.
Athletic: Imanol Etxeberria; Lacruz, Carlos García, Ferreira, Larrazábal; Urrutia, Felipe; Joseba Etxeberria, Guerrero, Yeste; Urzaiz. 4-2-3-1.

Team changes: Real Madrid: Karanka, Hierro, Sanchis, Raúl for Helguera, Julio César, Savio, Zárate / Bilbao: Lacruz, Larrazábal, Urzaiz for Larrainzar, Alkiza, Tiko.

Goals:
1-0. 40. Guti. Headed Hierro's free kick past Imanol.
1-1. 45. Joseba. Urzaiz headed down Lacruz cross into his path.
2-1. 60. Morientes. Substitutes Ognjenovic and Meca combined to set up striker.
3-1. 83. Raúl. Corner headed on by Ognjenovic for Raúl to score from close up.

It is hard to think that Real Madrid had been written off for the Spanish championship only a couple of months ago when they had dropped to seventeenth in the league. They move up to fifth with this victory, only seven points behind the leaders with a game in hand, and have now taken 17 points from the last seven matches, with five wins and two draws. Their injury problems continue however, and with Julio César and Savio both out for a couple of months after picking up serious injuries midweek, Del Bosque brought back Karanka in defence and played Sanchis as a makeshift midfielder in preference to Ognjenovic. Hierro and Raúl both returned to the side after international duty with Spain. Bilbao were also hit by injuries, with Alkorta, Lasa, Ezquerro, Larrainzar and Oscar Vales all out, and Alkiza suspended. Imanol played in goal, although he was not fully fit and he was replaced by Lafuente at half time.On the half hour Real Madrid were awarded a penalty after referee Medina Cantalejo ruled that Imanol had brought down Morientes. However the Bilbao keeper turned Hierro's kick round the post and out for a corner. A few minutes later they were ahead however as Guti, playing more regularly and with more confidence since Seedorf left for Italy, scored from a rare header. Bilbao were level three minutes into injury time through Joseba Etxeberria, Bilbao's best player in recent weeks, and he will be missed next week as he sits out a one match suspension for picking up his fifth booking of the season. Del Bosque made changes early in the second half, replacing McManaman and Guti with Ognjenovic and young forward Meca, and the two participated actively in the build up to Morientes' goal. Luis Fernández took off Julen Guerrero and Larrazábal, bringing on Tiko and Javi González, but it was Madrid who scored again near the end through Raúl. Madrid fans gave their players a standing ovation at the end, a far cry from the boos towards the end of last year. They jump over Bilboa, who drop out of the UEFA places to seventh.