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Albacete's 'Beckham' faces tough task against Madrid

MADRID, Spain (AP) -- He plays in midfield in the number 23 shirt and wears his blond hair long. And on Sunday, he's due to appear in Real Madrid's league game with lowly Albacete at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.

David Beckham? Of course. But also Ludovic Delporte.

Delporte, who joined Albacete from Lens in the summer, will share the turf with his more illustrious lookalike as his 18th-place team faces the mammoth task of surprising the star-studded league champion.

"People say I'm Albacete's Beckham which makes me laugh. I like to keep the joke going and say Beckham's the one who's doing the copying," the Frenchman told magazine Don Balon.

The gulf between the teams suggests Beckham and not Delporte will be smiling at end of the 12th-round game.

Albacete's visit looks perfectly timed for Madrid, which is licking its wounds after its 4-1 mauling by Sevilla in its last match on Nov. 9.

While Albacete has lost all five league matches on the road since it returned to the top flight this season, Madrid boasts a perfect home record so far. Albacete's draw in the 1994-95 season was its only point in five visits to Madrid's citadel.

"We had a tough start to the season. But now we're improving, particularly at home. We're in a tricky situation but there are a lot more games to play. We've come from the second division and we haven't got the money to strengthen the side that other teams have," Delporte said.

However, Albacete coach Cesar Ferrando is not throwing in the towel yet.

"Madrid is going to be in a hurry after the 4-1 defeat at Sevilla, they're going to push hard for the first 20 minutes. But this stadium is hard for all teams, even Madrid, and that could be to our advantage," Ferrando said.

Right back Michel Salgado returns from suspension to provide more stability to Madrid's defense, although Brazilian left back Roberto Carlos looks set to miss his second successive game with a thigh strain. Midfielder Jose Maria "Guti" Gutierrez is suspended.

Madrid lies in third place with 23 points, two points behind leader Deportivo de La Coruna. Valencia is second, also with 23. FC Barcelona is fourth with 19.

Deportivo will hope to strengthen its position as leader on Saturday when it visits 13th-place Real Betis, which has lost its last three matches.

"Betis' situation is positive for us. If we can control the opening minutes of each half then Betis may commit errors and the crowd could get nervous," Deportivo coach Javier Irureta said.

Deportivo will lack striker Diego Tristan (calf), midfielder Djalminha (thigh) and defender Noureddine Naybet (ankle), while right back Hector Berenguel is doubtful with a thigh strain. Betis will be without striker Jorge "Tote" Lopez (thigh) and Brazilian winger Denilson (calf).

Valencia hopes to recover its form on Sunday at 19th-place Murcia, following its surprise home defeat by Racing de Santander on Nov. 9.

"Let's forget about it being an easy match. Murcia is a team which is going to stand up to us and will be determined to win," said Valencia's Spanish international Carlos Marchena, who missed Spain's 3-0 Euro 2004 playoff win over Norway on Wednesday through suspension.

FC Barcelona, which has won three and drawn one of its last four games, will be without its injured forward Ronaldinho as it bids to maintain its recent improvement on Sunday at 12th-place Villarreal.

Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard may turn to veteran midfielder Luis Enrique Martinez, who has fallen out of favor recently, as he attempts to cover for Ronaldinho's creative flair.

The match will reunite Barcelona with two of its former players _ Argentine midfielder Juan Roman Riquelme and Brazilian striker Sonny Anderson. A third, midfielder Roger Garcia, is ruled out through injury.

"Barcelona has improved, although we'll have to see how it manages without Ronaldinho. Barcelona is looking as if it intends to do something in the league this season," said Anderson, a member of Barcelona's team in 1999 when it last lifted the league title.

Other 12th-round games this weekend are: Valladolid vs. Atletico de Madrid; Malaga vs. Osasuna; Espanyol vs. Sevilla; Celta de Vigo vs. Athletic de Bilbao; Racing de Santander vs. Zaragoza; and Real Sociedad vs. Mallorca.