Ewan Macdonald picks out the best and brightest from the seventh weekend of Liga action...

As always, more players impressed than there were places available in our team of the week, but nonetheless eleven star performers have been hand-picked to line up in Goal.com's best eleven.

A few teams aside, it was not a matchday for goalscorers. Only two sides managed more than two goals while fully eight didn't hit the back of the net at all. Of course that meant that there were no shortage of goalkeepers keeping clean sheets, but only one could make the line-up.

This week our excellent eleven lines up in something of a 4-4-1-1 formation with attacking wingers:

Diego López
Damiá - Pepe - Prieto - Adriano
Simão - Emaná - Aurelio - Iniesta
                Mata
Villa

Goalkeeper

Diego López (Villarreal): Another clean sheet for the current 'Zamora', and one that came complete with a penalty save. All those years on the bench at Real Madrid did him no harm whatsoever.

Defenders

Damiá Abella (Real Betis): Damiá actually played more of a midfield role for the Béticos during their 3-0 thrashing of Mallorca, but he's known as a right-back and he was certainly not shy about dropping back when it mattered. A mature showing.

Pepe (Real Madrid): Amidst difficult circumstances the Portuguese kept Kun Agüero shackled well for most of the heated derbi.

David Prieto (Sevilla): A perfect performance from the local boy made good, who is proving that he is well and truly a late bloomer worth watching.

Adriano (Sevilla): A roving, rushing left-back who wasn't shy about getting among the goals at Almería to preserve his side's great run of form.

Midfielders

Simão Sabrosa (Atlético Madrid): Changed the game for the rojiblancos when he came on and netted the equaliser in the Madrid clásico. An attacking substitution of the best sort.

Achille Emaná (Real Betis): Emaná's best performance in a verdiblanco shirt by far, and one of the best individual showings of the entire matchday. A masterful showing capped off by a late goal.

Mehmet Aurelio (Real Betis): Kept Mallorca's ineffectual midfield at bay and even got among the assists. Like Emaná, that was probably his best performance yet for his new side.

Andrés Iniesta (Barcelona): Started on the right side of attack but drifted around as the game went on, and to good effect, too. Although he didn't manage to provide an assist he was still his usual, effervescent self for the blaugrana.

Juan Mata (Valencia): Along with David Villa he creates a superb attacking double-act. Real Madrid may regret having let him go as he goes from strength to strength.

Striker

David Villa (Valencia): Superlatives are wasted on Villa, who remains, at this moment in time, the best striker in the country. It was 'only' Numancia but he still got among the goals and the action in convincing fashion.

Honourable Mentions

Record-breaking stopper Andrés Palop put in a great showing for Sevilla and only just missed the cut, while Gerard Piqué had one of his better performances for Barcelona at centre-back. Gonzalo and Godín of Villarreal were also a classy pairing.

Further up the pitch Sergio García had a good game for Betis, while Málaga's Eliseu was a key figure in his side's comeback against Getafe. Garmendia was one of the few threats for Athletic versus Barça, while substitute Camuñas' service for Recre deserved more than 1-1 draw against Valladolid (for whom Víctor excelled.) Medhi Lacen played a calm game for Racing, and Bilic was a positive influence for Sporting.

Manchester United, Barcelona and Real Madrid are amongst the major European clubs eyeing the signing of France starlet Karim Benzema, according to the player’s agent.

The Lyon striker has followed up from an outstanding performance in Ligue 1 last season to start the current campaign strongly after what was a disappointing Euro 2008 tournament for him and his nation.

And according to his agent, Benzema is being chased by three of the world’s biggest clubs, with many French football analysts predicting this season will be the 20-year-old’s last in France.

United already have an array of attacking talent at their disposal with the likes of Dimitar Berbatov, Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez plying their trade at Old Trafford.

However, the future of Tevez has came under severe scrutiny in recent weeks with the Argentinean still not secured on a permanent contract, with United boss Sir Alex Ferguson having reportedly eyed Benzema as an option last summer.

And Benzema’s agent has said there are also other top clubs eyeing his client’s signature.

“Barcelona, Real Madrid and Manchester United are not the only clubs following Karim because all the big European clubs are,” Djaziri said to France-Football.

“Our contacts with the clubs are constant and our contacts did not start last year but since Karim is 16! But we are transparent with Lyon on every point and they are aware of everything happening.”

Guti has been ruled out of the Madrid derby this weekend after failing to convince doctors that he had recovered from a muscle strain in time to be included in the squad.

The Spanish midfielder faced a race against time to be ready to play for el Real against their city rivals Atlético in the Vicente Calderón on Saturday evening.

Bernd Schuster was hoping that Guti would be available with earlier reports suggesting that he would step back into the team in place of Rubén De la Red.

Instead, the German coach will have to have a rethink about his line-up after being told by Madrid medics that the playmaker's muscle injury is still not completely gone.

While it is believed that he could play, doctors have advised both Guti and Schuster that he risks making the injury worse and the pair agreed it was best if he sat out the game.

Mahamadou Diarrà and Arjen Robben are both also doubtful for the match and will undergo late fitness tests to see if they can be included in the list for the trip across the Spanish capital.

There was some good news this week for Schuster though with Fernando Gago returning to full fitness and he will be part of the coach's plans for the match.

Rubén De la Red believes that he is capable of playing anywhere in Real Madrid's midfield and that he has the talent and confidence to compete with the big money signings.

Los Merengues' youth team product returned to the club in the summer after a successful year with Getafe and is pushing for a regular place in Bernd Schuster's team.

With the coach shuffling his team, De la Red could be asked to slot in to a defensive midfield position rather than play in his more comfortable role further forward in the derby against Atlético this weekend.

"I only care about playing, I don't care how. I want to help the team and I will try to do my best in that position if that's where the coach wants me to play. I've played as a defensive midfielder before and managed to help the team," he explained.

"I think we all have much responsibility on this team. There is a quality squad here despite the injuries."

Rafael Van der Vart, Guti, Fernando Gago and Wesley Sneijder are all jostling for De la Red's usual position, but he believes that he is as good as any of them.

"I work as hard as the rest and the coach decides who plays. I think I'm as good as anyone else. We all work hard to earn a spot on the team. The player who's fittest makes the cut in the end," he continued.

Looking ahead to the game in the Vicente Caldéron at the weekend, De la Red thinks that the visitors will not have an easy time against their city rivals.

"Atlético de Madrid are a very good team. They are strong contenders for titles despite losing three games. No team is favourite at this stage because there are many matches left to be held," he said.

"We will see who has chances of winning the league halfway through the second part of the campaign."

The Spanish giants are keeping tabs on Hernanes and Dentinho, two promising youngsters who are set to become hot property.

No other clubs in the world quite have the penchant for picking up South American talent quite like Real Madrid and Barcelona. Now it seems that these two young Brazilian protégés are coveted by both, and it could lead to fireworks.

Hernanes is a Sao Paulo midfielder who was on the verge of joining Pep Guardiola's Camp Nou revolution in the summer, and only the high demands of his club ended Barcelona’s interest. However, he is still on the radar of the Catalan giants, and there are murmurs that a deal may soon be resurrected.

Madrid and Calderon are lurking however, should any proposed move break down. But they are favourites to land Dentinho, who is the bright young hope of Corinthians. The striker is just 19 years old, and although he is on the radar of clubs in England and Italy, it is Real who have made the first moves to secure his signature. They have suggested an asking price, and even arranged representatives to meet with Corinthians in the hope of reaching an agreement. Watch the space for further updates.

Valencia defender Raúl Albiol has been cleared to play for Spain next week for their round of World Cup qualifiers.

Europe’s premier club competition is now well underway and 32 of the continent’s finest teams are all still in the running to reach the knockout phase next year. Mark Pickering assesses the credentials of three of the more noteworthy teams in this year's edition of the Champions League...

The tournament, which enters group Match Day Three on November 4th, is replete with squads that are the envy of world football and features no less than eight previous Champions League winners.  

While there’s the usual cast of mainstays like Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester United, who are synonymous with the competition, there are also some little-known newcomers and returning sides in this year’s European showpiece.  

Three of the most intriguing entrants are Spanish standouts Atlético Madrid, Cypriot newcomers Anorthosis Famagusta and Romanian debutants CFR Cluj.

The headline-grabbing trio have already made a splash in this year’s competition and are well placed to reach December’s draw for the knockout stages.  

Atlético are participating in the tournament for the eleventh time in their history and are intent on making up for lost time with their last appearance in the competition coming over a decade ago.  

Serbian Radomir Antić guided the Los Colchoneros to a famous league and cup double in 1996 and a much coveted Champions League berth.  

The double winners had a squad brimming with talent including Argentine legend Diego Simeone, Serbian playmaker Milinko Pantić, Madrid native Juan Manuel López and his widely popular countryman Kiko.  

The Spanish side won their group ahead of eventual competition winners Borussia Dortmund but narrowly lost out 4-3 to defending champions Ajax in the quarter finals.  

Twelve years on and the Spaniards have a squad reminscent of their class of 1996.

Now under the stewardship of Mexican Javier Aguirre, whose best known for guiding perennial strugglers Osasuana to the brink of the Champions League, Atletico are well placed domestically and gearing towards European honours.  

The star-laden squad has a strong Argentine influence with 20-year-old prodigy Sergio Aguero, captain Maxi Rodriguez, veteran keeper Leo Franco, on loan midfielder Ever Banega as well as naturalised Spaniard Mariano Pernia.

Aguirre’s ranks also prominently feature a Spanish core with namesakes Luis and Raul Garcia and their compatriot Antonio Lopez also holding key roles.  

The Mexican coach invested well in the summer, boosting his squad with a string of shrewd signings including Ajax’s John Heitinga, former French number one Gregory Coupet from Lyon, Czech captain Tomas Ujfalusi and Porto’s Paulo Assunção.  

Their timely spending spree added much needed depth to the squad and all but ensured Atletico would be a force to be reckoned with this term. That has proved the case as the La Liga side produced a highly polished performance to convincingly beat PSV Eindhoven 3-0 in Holland in their opener and followed up with a gutsy 2-1 win at the Vincente Calderon against Marseille.  

Now Atletico lead the way in Group D with maximum points and have a mouthwatering double header against Fernando Torres’ Liverpool in their sights which will likely decide who finishes top of the group.  

With such a talented squad, an ambitious president and the astute Javier Aguirre at the helm the Spanish side were expected to perform admirably in their return to the competition but brushing aside Champions League regulars PSV and Marseille with such ease has raised eybrows.  

Atletico will keen to test their mettle against Liverpool and could well torment their former idol Torres.   

Elsewhere newboys Anorthosis Famagusta, who became the first ever Cypriot side to reach the group stage and are one of the least fancied teams in the competition, are heroically topping Group B.

The little-known Cypriots overcome Greek giants Panathinaikos by three goals to one this week after a hard fought goalless draw away at Werder Bremen on Match Day One.  

Their resolute performance in Germany is the more commendable of their two impressive results as they kept out a free-scoring Werder Bremen side that had scored 18 goals in their previous six Bundesliga games and thumped Bayern Munich 5-2 a fortnight ago.  

Despite their stellar start to their first ever Champions League campaign their efforts have gone largely unnoticed.  

The Old Lady, who are coached by charismatic Georgian Temuri Ketsbaia, might be newcomers to European competition at the highest level but they do boast a wealth of international experience in terms of personnel and some familiar names.  

Former Real Madrid and Brazil star Savio, much travelled former Bordeaux man Paula Costa, former Portsmouth midfielder Giannis Skopelitis and towering Greek defender Traianos Dellas, once of AS Roma, all ply their trade with the Cypriot Champions.  

They may not be household names or at the height of their careers but collectively form a cohesive side who are relishing their first foray in the Champions League.  

The Cypriots have a daunting couple of games against Italian giants Inter ahead but will take heart from their two group games so far and strive to remain in the hunt for an unlikely place in the next round.  

Fellow newcomers CFR Cluj-Napoca have been the darlings of the tournament so far and attracted plaudits as well as unprecedented mainstream attention after beating AS Roma in Italy and holding last year’s finalists Chelsea to a stalemate.  

The Romanian Champions, who have an international flavour with ten South American players on their books, five Portuguese, three Ivorians, a Canadian and a handful of Romanians, have wildly exceeded expections.   

The Champions League newcomers stunned Roma in their first game in the competition with a deserved 2-1 victory at the Stadio Olimpico and in doing so sent shockwaves through European football.  

CFR Cluj proved their result in Italy was far from a fortunate one by taking the game to Chelsea in Romania and could well have emerged with all three points.

Six years ago they were among footballing backwaters in the the third tier of Romanian football - now they’ve become the first team from outside Bucharest to win Liga 1 in 17 years and are more than holding their own against Europe’s elite.  

The latest chapter in their meteoric rise is being overseen by Italian coach Maurizio Trombetta who will be looking for more of the same in the crucial double header against bottom placed Bordeaux. 

Mark Pickering

Sergio Agüero can go as far as he wants after his hat-trick in midweek against PSV according to Atlético de Madrid's last goalscorer in the Champions League, Milinko Pantic.

The Argentinian striker has won many plaudits since his commanding performance in Holland and the former Colchoneros star believes that he can become a legend.

"The boy has everything and he can do anything. He is really that good. He seems like he is 30 or older," Pantic told Marca..

"His second goal in midweek showed what he can do. Right now he is happy and in a good place.

"I think he will stay there for a long time although if Robinho's case is an example then it will up to the player when he goes."

Pantic still follows his former club's exploits and believes that Atlético can finally win a piece of silverware this term.

"I enjoyed the game against PSV and everyone should be very proud. It is a great day. The team was serious about their job and they can aspire to win everything," he added.

Lucas Brown, Goal.com

Real Madrid coach Bernd Schuster was pleased to see his side wrap up all three points against BATE Borisov in the Champions League opener, but he was disappointed not to have seen more goals.

Real Madrid controlled the contest against BATE literally from whistle to whistle and racked up some 20 shots at the opposition goal in total but only registered a 2-0 win.

While the three points never really looked in danger, Los Blanco were unable to secure a bigger margin of victory. And coach, Schuster was a little disappointed not to have witnessed a goal feast at the Bernabéu, especially in the first half.

“After taking a 1-0 lead and seeing that our rivals could not respond, I believe we slowed down a little,” he analysed during the post-match conference.

“That is always dangerous because any silly mistakes and things could have been very complicated for us. Perhaps a second or third goal was needed.

“But the win is good. It is something that we needed today, although we should have scored more goals. I was waiting for more in the first half,” he added, before going on to joke that he has not been angry at all today.

The German then concluded by saying that he is not at all worried by Guti and Rafa van der Vaart’s lack of understanding on the pitch, while he also praised Gonzalo Higuaín for his excellent start to the season.

Dani Güiza has stated that he is unaffected by calls for Bojan Krkic to be given his Spain debut as he vies for a place in Wednesday's World Cup qualifier against Armenia with the Barça starlet.

Following on from a tremendous season with Mallorca, the forward then impressed at Euro 2008 and has been kept in the national squad by new coach Vicente del Bosque. The media and public have been calling for Bojan to be given a run in what would be his first appearance for la Roja and that would see Güiza remain on the bench. "The truth is that it is all the same to me. The only thing I can do it to continue to train well and to hope for a chance. The rest does not bother me," he said. "I was able to play for a few minutes, but is difficult." Reflecting on his move to Fenerbahçe in the summer, Güiza admitted that he cannot be expected to start where he left off last term because he is still adapting. "It is difficult to score so many goals because it is a very different league to the Spain, but I have gone there with a real desire to try and do what I did last season," he continued. "Now I want to stay in the national squad, that is the most important thing."