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Barcelona aiming to continue party against Villarreal
One week after it won the Spanish league for the first time since 1999, FC Barcelona's celebrations are still in full swing. On Sunday, the champion will step out for a final home match of the season against third-place Villarreal. An ecstatic reception is guaranteed from an expected 98,000 supporters at Camp Nou stadium. Barcelona asked the country's soccer federation to break with tradition and allow it to receive the trophy before kickoff. The trophy is usually presented at the start of the following season. Midfielder Xavi Hernandez acknowledged Barcelona won't be as motivated as when it was chasing points, but said the team would do its best. ``Barcelona's prestige is always at stake so we have to demonstrate in these two matches that we have deserved to win the league,'' Xavi said. ``There are teammates who are trying for individual awards.'' Samuel Eto'o is aiming to cement his position as the league's top scorer, while Victor Valdes can end the season as the most effective goalkeeper. Villarreal plans to take advantage of Barcelona's relaxed mood and achieve a victory which would almost assure it of a debut in next season's Champions League. But Villarreal's hopes of a third win from six visits to Camp Nou were hit by the absence of its playmaker, Argentine midfielder Juan Roman Riquelme, with a left knee injury. Riquelme, in his second season on loan from Barcelona, has scored 15 goals and helped Uruguay striker Diego Forlan net 20. In other penultimate-round games, second-place Real Madrid hosts Atletico on Saturday in what may be a low-key local derby between two disappointed teams. Madrid's stars will end the season without a major trophy for the second straight year, while 11th-place Atletico has missed out on a European place after picking up two points from its past six games. ``We have the chance to say goodbye to the supporters on a good note. We have done well in the second half of the season but finishing second is no good to us,'' Madrid rightback Michel Salgado said. Angry Atletico supporters demanded the removal of club president Enrique Cerezo and coach Cesar Ferrando because of the team's poor league form and last week's elimination from the Copa del Rey semifinals. Before kickoff, Madrid will mark the retirement of its former captain, Fernando Hierro, who led the team to three Champions League titles and six league championships in 14 years at the club. Hierro, who made the final appearance of his career for English Premier League team Bolton last Sunday, was cut along with coach Vicente del Bosque in 2003. The team had just won the league _ its last major trophy. As well as Villarreal, the teams with a chance of joining Barcelona and Madrid in the Champions League are Sevilla, Betis and Espanyol, none of whom have played in the competition. Villarreal has 61 points, two more than Sevilla. Betis has 58, while Espanyol has 57. Betis hosts ninth-place Real Zaragoza on Saturday. On Sunday, Sevilla visits 13th-place Getafe and Espanyol visits 15th-place Osasuna. With Numancia and Albacete's fate already confirmed, the final relegation place will go to Levante or Mallorca. Levante, promoted last season, has one point more than Mallorca. If the teams finish level, Levante will stay up because it has a better record in games between the two. Levante will be chasing a first win in nine games when it hosts crosstown rival Valencia. Seventh-place Valencia has won only three of its past 17 matches but is still aiming for a place in next season's UEFA Cup, a competition it won with the league title last season. Mallorca pays a Sunday visit to 10th-place Deportivo La Coruna, for which midfield stalwarts Mauro Silva and Fran Gonzalez will be playing final home games before retiring at the end of the season. Silva, who won the World Cup with Brazil in 1994, has been with Deportivo since 1992. Former Spanish international Fran, 35, has played for the club all his career. Other 37th-round games Sunday are: Albacete vs. Real Sociedad; Malaga vs. Racing Santander; and Athletic Bilbao vs. Numancia.
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