Ewan Macdonald and James Walker-Roberts look back on Matchday 7 of Primera action with an eye on those who made out best - and worst - after the weekend's games...

WINNERS

Paco Chaparro - The most weathered face in Spanish football can finally crack a grin after Betis opened their winning account against Mallorca. A 3-0 home victory silenced the home critics - for now - as Emaná put in a showboating performance. Chaparro's job remains safe - again, for now. Manuel Ruiz de Lopera could, and probably will, swing the axe at any time.

Sporting Gijón - The Asturian side have just managed their first home win in the Primera in a decade, giving the long-suffering fans at the Molinón a chance to celebrate. It was "only" Osasuna, but three points are three points for the side whose time in the Segunda made the Israelites' jaunt in the desert seem like a long weekend.

Unai Emery - The young Basque may have the Primera's lamest haircut but he also has the best debutant record of any Valencia manager, ever. After his side's 4-0 thumping of Numancia he warned that Los Che can improve further yet, which may have weekend opponents Recreativo sucking their thumbs in anticipation.

Andrés Iniesta - Put in a fine performance for Barça away to Athletic Bilbao to cap off a week that also gave him international success. What's more, Barça have now won six in a row, and he's played in every single one of them. Consolation for being left off the Ballon d'Or shortlist, then...

Andrés Palop - The veteran Sevilla goalkeeper was in record breaking mood on Sunday night as he smashed not only the club record for the amount of minutes without conceding in the league but also the number of consecutive clean-sheets. The ex-Valencia stopper has not seen his net bulge for 495 minutes of La Liga action now since Mate Bilic scored way back on matchday 2.

LOSERS

Atlético Madrid - Whilst cross-town rivals Real Madrid are finding every way they can to win matches at the moment Atlético are doing exactly the opposite. Three consecutive league defeats, culminating this weekend with a heartbreaking loss to Los Blancos, and suddenly Atlético find their superb start in tatters and the league leaders a massive ten points ahead.

Osasuna - Los Rojillos might have installed fresh blood at the helm in the form of José Antonio Camacho but it looks like they need more than just a new manager following a disappointing defeat to newly-promoted Sporting Gijón which leaves them second from bottom in La Liga. They hold the unfortunate stat of being the only club in the top-flight without a win to their name and if that doesn't change sooner rather than later more heads will surely roll.

Clos Gomez - Sergio Agüero and Wesley Sneijder played second fiddle to the man in black at the Madrid derby as he well and truly stole the show with his antics on Saturday night. Two disallowed goals, two very debatable sendings-off and an overall poor handling of the game saw him grab the headlines for all the wrong reasons.

Racing Santander/Deportivo La Coruña - One side winless away from home and the other winless at home it was inevitable that the spell would be broken as they clashed on Sunday, or would it? Unfortunately for Miguel Ángel Lotina and Juan Ramón López Muñiz none of their strikers could hit a barn door from ten paces at the moment and with 9 goals between them so far it is fair to say that David Villa will not exactly be quaking in his boots at their respective Pichichi prospects.

Numancia - Numancia grabbed all the headlines on the opening day as they shocked Barcelona but since then they have obtained just a point and currently prop up the table after seven matches. A four nil defeat to Valencia was harsh but the reality is that in this league hard work alone isn't enough and unless they start to score more they will find themselves back in Segunda.

Manchester United have joined Real Madrid in the chase to sign Brazilian starlet Douglas Costa from Grêmio at the end of the current season.

Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted that he is interested in the 18-year-old attacking midfielder and indicated that he is ready to weigh up making a move for the player.

Madrid have been watching Costa for over a year, according to Marca, but have yet to make anything official because they are keen for him to continue developing at his current club.

With United now joining the chase though, that could move the situation along and Ferguson will certainly be keen not to miss out.

"He is a player that we like and does seem to be very interesting," the Spanish paper quotes the Scottish manager as saying.

Costa has been compared to Ronaldinho and Robinho by pundits in Brazil thanks to his speed, creativity and mental strength and will no doubt attract more suitors if his departure looks set to happen.

Ferguson would be keen to win the race over Madrid after the Spanish club's unsettling move quest for Cristiano Ronaldo last summer angered him.

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.”

After being out for two weeks with a hamstring injury the Dutch midefielder is in the squad of 18 for the trip to Italy to face Juventus in the Champions League. The Spanish champions, then, have a better time of it than Juve as far as injuries are concerned...

This week see argubly the most anticipated group match of this seasons Champions League as Real Madrid travel to Turin to face Juventus, and Madrid have been boosted by the return of Robben to their injury-hit side.

With Guti and Diarra missing from midfield and Miguel Torres also out, Robben's return will give Schuster another option as he selects his side to take on the old lady of Italian football. The midfielder is notoriously known as the 'The Glass Man' by the Spanish media in relation to his injury-proneness, and has struggled to stay fit for an extended period since joining from Chelsea in 2007. But when he does play he has been vital to the team and the German Coach will be delighted to have him back available for selection.

Christoph Metzelder is also included in the squad after being excluded from Real's 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid on Saturday evening. Missing from the squad for technical reasons are Michel Sagado and Javier Saviola.

Full Madrid squad to face Juventus:
Casillas, Dudek, Ramos, Pepe, Cannavaro, Metzelder, Heinze, Marcelo, Javi Garcia, Drenthe, De la Red, Gago, Sneijder, Van der Vaart, Higuaín, Robben, Van Nistelrooy, Raul.
 

Dutch midfielder Royston Drenthe came off the bench last night and won his team a last gasp penalty in the last thirty seconds of the game. Speaking to the press today, the midfielder highlighted his contribution, and also looked forward to the next Champions League clash in Turin…

It was Royston Drenthe's turn this weekend to give the post-training player conference, and the winger was full of smiles after last night's thrilling derbi at the Vicente Calderon.  "Winning a penalty is always great," he began, "We were up the entire match and it was a real downer when they equalized."
 
A journalist poked the issue about it being an unfair penalty, but the Dutchman simply chuckled off any doubts, "It was a penalty. Absolutely," he boomed. Drenthe was then asked whether or not he would have liked to convert it, but the midfielder was glad he did not. "I was so thrilled to have provoked it but I wasn't prepared to take it, not under that pressure," he confessed.
 
The talk was then switched over to the highly anticipated fixture against Juventus, but Drenthe did not make any bets. "It will be a difficult match, they are a great team and want to do well in the Champions League after missing out for so long.  But, we have a good team and will do whatever it takes to win out there," he concluded.
 
Despite his powerful performances, it remains highly unlikely that Drenthe will take the field in Turin, particularly due to the return of his compatriot Arjen Robben to the starting lineup.

Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon admits he would like Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon at the Santiago Bernabeu as he looks ahead to the crucial Champions League clash on Tuesday between the two giants...

Los Merengues will be in Turin as they attempt to take firm control of group H and, as always, there are fireworks expected.

Calderon will also be at the Olimpico and he has revealed that Buffon is a player he would like at the Bernabeu, leading to speculation that he will try and make enquries while he is in Italy.

The Italian international will not play as he is injured but this hasn't stopped the chief from showing an interest.

"Buffon is the player of my dreams, he is a legend and I want him at Real," Calderon told Tuttosport.

"He is a Real Madrid player, I also like [Mauro] Camoranesi and, of course, [Alessandro] Del Piero.

"However, we have a world-class 'Keeper in [Iker] Casillas and to be honest we don't really need a replacement in goal.

"I will be in Turin on Tuesday to watch the game. It will be a great day for football. It's a European classic and we are delighted to be playing Juve.

"We want to fight for La Liga and for the Champions League as well as everything else."

Los Merengues have always been keen on Buffon and they have spent good money in Turin in the past such as the Zinedine Zidane signing in 2001.

Reports suggest Juventus will be open to a mega money move if it arrives.

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.