Valencia host Real Madrid at the Mestalla on Wednesday with an air of uncertainty hanging over the club following the sacking of coach Quique
Sanchez Flores.
The Valencia boss was shown the door after the team's 3-0 loss at Sevilla on Sunday, but the club can hardly be considered to be in crisis given that they are in fourth place, just four points behind leaders Real Madrid.
Oscar Fernandez takes charge of the side on a caretaker basis for the Real match but the reserve team boss is likely to be warming the seat for a big-name appointment, with Jose Mourinho, Marcelo Lippi and Luiz Felipe Scolari all reported to be in the frame.
Fernandez will be hoping leading striker David Villa will be available after missing the last two games with an ankle injury, while centre-back Ivan Helguera will be able to face his former club after returning from suspension.
Real remain top of the table, two points clear of Barcelona, after a somewhat flattering 3-1 win over Deportivo Coruna on Sunday thanks to late goals from Raul and Robinho.
Coach Bernd Schuster should have defenders Fabio Cannavaro, Gabriel Heinze and midfielder Mahamadou Diarra at his disposal after the trio missed the Depor match through injury.
Like Valencia, Sevilla are also facing up to the rest of the season with a new coach although they are under new management for entirely different reasons.
The highly rated Juande Ramos left the UEFA Cup holders last week after deciding to rescind his contract when he received a lucrative offer from Tottenham Hotspur.
But the Andalucians proved there is life after his departure with their emphatic 3-0 win over Valencia, prolific striker Frederic Kanoute scoring his fifth of the season with an early goal at the Sanchez Pizjuan.
After passing his first examination with flying colours, new coach Manolo Jimenez now faces another tough test as his team take on an in-form Atletico Madrid at the Calderon.
Atletico have won five out of their last six league games, with Diego Forlan and Sergio Aguero notching up nine goals between them to fire the team into fifth in the table a point behind Valencia and Villarreal.
Barcelona claimed an unimpressive 2-0 win over Almeria on Sunday and face another promoted side, Valladolid, on Thursday amid criticism their illustrious forward line is failing to live up to its billing in the early part of the season.
"It wasn't our best game, but more than ever this was a match we had to win," said coach Frank Rijkaard whose side were crushed 3-1 by Villarreal last weekend and were then held to a 0-0 draw by Rangers in the Champions League.