This next week will prove to be a formidable test for the Spanish league’s top three teams. All three are playing match midweek and over the weekend, testing their fitness just in time for the stretch run.

For Madrid’s top two teams Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, adding to their fitness challenge will be their semifinal Champions League matches against Manchester City and Bayern Munich respectively.

The team they are both chasing, Barcelona, somewhat fortunately do not have to worry about another competition, especially after they have had fatigue issues of their own in recent weeks. Although to remedy their woes, they finally busted loose against Deportivo de la Coruna with an 8-1 victory Wednesday.

Real Madrid beat a tough Villarreal team – who are experiencing their own dip in form as of late – 3-0 Wednesday, but it did not come without a cost. Their Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo picked up a thigh issue in extra time, forcing Madrid to finish with 10 men. Zinedine Zidane had already used his three substitutes, and possibly should have used one on Ronaldo in hindsight. Reports are coming in that the 31-year-old will miss this Saturday’s match at the third Madrid team, Rayo Vallecano. Moreover his inclusion in the starting XI against Manchester City is in doubt as well.

Zidane’s counterpart at Barcelona Luis Enrique came under fire somewhat for his (mis)handling of his stars’ workload, as Barcelona have looked sluggish during their recent swoon, and if Ronaldo’s absence proves consequential, Zidane should receive the same criticism. Up until Wednesday, Ronaldo had played every minute of every one of Real Madrid’s matches, apart from the last minute of a Champions League match against Roma.

The drama should not be turned up too high however, as Zidane said Friday that tests revealed nothing serious. Via ESPN:

"Tomorrow [Ronaldo] will not play," Zidane said. "We did the scans and he has nothing serious, but he cannot play tomorrow. Then we will see day to day. Tomorrow he will stay at home. Then we will see about Tuesday."

This is where being the richest team on the planet has its benefits, if they weren’t obvious already. Zidane can easily slot in a player off the bench that would start on most of Europe’s top teams. Plus they are playing a team in Rayo Vallecano that feature zero players who could even warm the Real Madrid bench.

What’s that you say about the 1%?

Image via: Flickr