Madrid - Villarreal coach Ernesto Valverde is in massive danger after his troubled team were held to a 0-0 home draw on Sunday by Espanyol, who played with 10 men for most of the game. Villarreal - who reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League last season - are now second from bottom of La Liga without a win to their name, with just three points from six games.
"We really should have won today," said Villarreal striker Guiseppe Rossi, "but we didn't take our chances."
In the 15th minute Espanyol defender Juan Forlin was sent off for pulling down Rossi. However, the out-of-form Villarreal defence failed to break down the weakened Espanyol defence.
Valverde - who, ironically, enjoyed his best coaching days at Espanyol - is likely to become the first Liga coach sacked this season.
Fifth-placed Mallorca, meanwhile, were thrashed 4-1 by Sporting Gijon, for whom Miguel de las Cuevas was the two-goal hero.
Athletic Bilbao battled out a 2-2 draw in Valladolid, thanks to a late goal from teenage starlet Iker Munaian.
Bilbao are now level on 10 points with Mallorca, both of them two points behind Deportivo Coruna and Sevilla, who share third place.
One point behind Mallorca and Bilbao are Getafe, who beat Osasuna 2-1 on a late goal from Pedro Leon.
Sunday's other early game was a tense 1-1 draw between bottom team Xerez and Malaga, who are third from bottom.
Later on Sunday Valencia are away to Racing Santander, where they usually have problems.
Sunday's late game will be the clash of the weekend, between third-placed Sevilla and second-placed Real Madrid.
Real need to win in Sevilla, no easy feat, in order to keep up with leaders Barcelona, who scraped a 1-0 home win on Saturday over Almeria.
Real go into the big game without injury victims Cristiano Ronaldo, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Lassana Diarra and Alvaro Arbeloa.
