It is Friday, which means it is time to prepare for non-stop action from Spain with La Liga back in the fray.� After an intense week of World Cup qualifying playoffs, the focus turns back to the domestic responsibilities.

The times listed are Eastern Standard Time (EST) and include the pregame pleasantries, although sometimes the matches on the DIRECTV La Liga specific channels may not go to match coverage until right before kickoff.

Spain have just launched their home jersey for the 2010 World Cup and the design has a 1980s feel about it. Adidas have once again manufactured this World Cup kit, which is the usual red with a hint of blue on the sleeve and neck areas, and yellow Adidas stripes up the arms and shoulders. The Adidas logo is featured on the top centre part of the shirt and the Spanish badge is on the left of the shirt.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic was Barcelona's big money signing in the summer with Samuel Eto'o and a reported £40 million going in the opposite direction to Inter Milan. Few can doubt that Ibrahimovic has ability and on his day is one of the best forwards in the world, however many have criticised him for his work rate and not everyone was convinced he would cut it in Spain.

Denial

Although Real Madrid needed five goals to overturn their Round of 32 tie with Alcorcón, a certain sense of denial was important in this particular situation so that they could believe that their task was not impossible.� Kaká stated, "For the pride and for the history of Real Madrid, we have to win this tie.

The rumour mills, as always, have been in full swing in the last couple of weeks with the latest one being that Barcelona are set to launch a swoop next summer to make Wayne Rooney the most expensive player in the world with an £85 million bid which would beat the current record held by Cristiano Ronaldo, but is there any truth in the rumour and would he move to Barcelona?

With the confusing TV schedules for La Liga in the United States every week, it is quite difficult to figure out who is playing when and on what channel.� Every Friday, I will lay out the TV schedule so that every fan of La Liga has a place to go to see when and where their favorite team will play.

Cristiano Ronaldo signed for Real Madrid in the summer and had been a star performer in his Real Madrid shirt before being sidelined by injury and the former Manchester United star has said he would love to see former team mate Wayne Rooney move to the Bernabeu to play alongside him again.

Oscar Ustari can only stare blankly as Gonzalo Higuaín beats him for a second time.

The fashionable district.� The working-class south.� The established.� The disrespected.� Commerce.� Industry.� A comparison between the two top Madrid clubs.� Getafe just wants to be in the conversation.

If the Copa del Rey is played, but hardly anyone cares about it, did it really happen?� To say that some of the La Liga teams think of the cup as a nuisance would be quite an understatement.� With the overloaded fixture list consisting of European and domestic matches, the Copa del Rey is near the bottom of the top teams' priorities.

There is no doubt that on his day Zlatan Ibrahimovic is one of the most talented footballers in the world but often he is criticised for being lazy and unproductive so his transfer to Barcelona was met with doubt by some Barcelona fans. However the Swedish striker has played well since his move from Inter Milan and has been a stand out player in a Barcelona shirt this season.

Halloween will arrive in a few days, but for Atlético Madrid, this season has been a complete nightmare from the beginning.� Los rojiblancos hit their low point with a dull thud on Saturday when they could not fend off a nine-man Mallorca team and settled for a 1-1 draw at the Vicente Calderón.

Last night saw mixed fortunes for Spanish sides as Sevilla made it three wins from three in the Champions League this season but Barcelona lost 2-1 at home to Rubin Kazan and was probably the most unexpected result of the night, in a night that produced more than one surprise scoreline.

Tonight though is the meeting of the two European giants AC Milan and Real Madrid which looks like being the tastiest double header in the Champions League this season.

Pep Guardiola cannot believe it either.

After a workmanlike 1-0 victory against Almería and a mediocre showing in their 0-0 draw at the Mestalla against Valencia CF on Saturday, FC Barcelona looked to reverse their form in the Champions League against a supposed weaker team in FK Rubin Kazan.

An impressive 1-0 win by Deportivo La Coruña over Sevilla on Saturday raises Depor to a tie of third place with Sevilla at fifteen points, four points behind league leaders FC Barcelona.� Los blanquiazules have won five of their first seven matches this season, and their only two losses came at the hands of Espanyol 2-3 and Real Madrid 2-3.

Seconds out...

Joan Laporta is one of those mysterious characters in world football; a man who has never fully gained universal respect for his efforts at Barcelona mainly due to his unfavourable approach to controlling the club. Put on top of that the fact he acquired the role of president via the unfulfilled promise of bringing David Beckham to the club (who we all know ended up at Barca's bitter rivals Real Madrid) and its not hard to see why Catalonians have always felt a bit cautious with him at the helm.