Underfire Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso will be hoping to remain in charge of Los Blancos over the Christmas break but must first oversee a Liga victory against Sevilla to sate the club's hierarchy.
Pressure has mounted on the Basque coach in recent weeks following a downturn in form, with speculation rife that Alonso would be shown the door should they lose at home to Manchester City in the Champions League last Wednesday.
His side's battling performance in the subsequent 2-1 defeat to Pep Guardiola's team spared Alonso but on the back of two unconvincing wins against more modest opposition, Alonso's situation seems more perilous than ever.
Kylian Mbappe's scintillating form this term – 28 goals in 23 outings in all competitions – has carried Real, and Alonso was forced to deploy the Frenchman, who missed the loss against City with a broken finger, for the full 90 minutes against Alaves last weekend and then in the Copa del Rey against third-tier Talavera.
He netted three goals and provided an assist across both matches as Madrid edged Alaves 2-1 in the league, before scraping past Talavera 3-2 on Wednesday.
Mbappe's tally for the calendar year now stands at 58, one fewer than Cristiano Ronaldo's club record from 2013, with one match remaining on the schedule.
Despite maintaining their four-point gap to Liga leaders Barcelona and booking their spot in the last 16 of the Spanish Cup, Alonso's reliance on Mbappe while struggling to get the best of the rest of his star-studded squad will weigh no less heavily on the mind of club president Florentino Perez.
"The numbers are what they are but Rodrygo (Goes) has scored in both of the previous two games and we need more guys who have got that clinical edge," Alonso said after beating Talavera.
"(Now) We have just one focus, which is Sevilla.
"We need the three points, we want a positive feeling around the place and to close the year on a high."
Real Madrid host midtable Sevilla on Saturday, and go into the match without having tasted league defeat to the Andalusians in over seven years.
Their opponents have, however, shown an appetite for a big-name scalp this season and sensationally downed Barcelona 4-1 in early October.
Alonso will be desperate to avoid such a turnaround and complete the 'Derbi Sevillano' set when the league starts back up again in early January and Madrid face Sevilla's city rivals Real Betis.
But he will be in no doubt that to stay in the Bernabeu hotseat until then, victory on its own this time might still not be enough.
Hansi Flick's table-topping Barcelona visit third-placed Villarreal on Sunday with both teams coming into the meeting on a hot streak.
The Yellow Submarine sit a further four points back from Madrid but hold two games in hand over the top two.
Atletico Madrid, one point off Villarreal in fourth, travel to Catalonia where they will take on struggling Girona.
PLAYER TO WATCH: Antoine Griezmann
The 2018 World Cup winner has been in and out of the Atletico starting XI this season but still undoubtedly has the ability to swing a match on its head.
The 34-year-old's breathtaking control and finish off the bench against Valencia last week sealed a return to winning ways for Diego Simeone's side after back-to-back Liga defeats.
He netted again midweek with a brace in their 3-2 cup win over Atletico Baleares to bring his tally to eight in all competitions this season.
KEY STATS
12 - Real's Mbappe has 17 goals in the league, 12 more than their next topscorer Vinicius Junior on five
7 - Sevilla duo Jose Angel Carmona and Lucien Agoume lead the league in yellow cards with seven apiece
3 - The number of points separating Girona in the final relegation spot from Alaves in 12th
FIXTURES
Friday (all times GMT)
Valencia v Mallorca (8pm)
Saturday
Real Oviedo v Celta Vigo (1pm), Levante v Real Sociedad (3:15pm), Osasuna v Alaves (5:30pm), Real Madrid v Sevilla (8pm)
Sunday
Girona v Atletico Madrid (1pm), Villarreal v Barcelona (3:15pm), Elche v Rayo Vallecano (5:30pm), Real Betis v Getafe (8pm)
Monday
Athletic Bilbao v Espanyol (8pm)