MADRID, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- Atletico Madrid will play a derby against Rayo Vallecano on Wednesday in the sixth round of La Liga.
The game is the first of two derbies for Atletico this week, and Diego Simeone's side needs to win both, otherwise this season's title could already slip out of reach before September ends.
Atletico's 1-1 draw in Mallorca left it nine points behind Real Madrid, and with Real visiting Levante on Tuesday, that gap could stretch to 12 points before kickoff at the Metropolitano Stadium. With Atletico hosting Real on Saturday, anything other than two wins would leave Simeone's team with fading hopes of competing for the title.
Atletico striker Alexander Sorloth will miss Wednesday's game after his red card in Mallorca, while Simeone is also concerned about forward Julian Alvarez, who has not scored since the opening game of the season.
Wednesday's fixtures begin with Getafe at home to Alaves, with both sides returning from weekend defeats.
Getafe could have expected a difficult trip to Barcelona, but Alaves disappointed in a home loss to Sevilla, and coach Eduardo Coudet may add more strength to his midfield against demanding opposition.
There is also likely to be tension in San Sebastian as 18th-ranked Real Sociedad and 19th-placed Mallorca meet in search of their first win of the season.
Sociedad arrives after three consecutive defeats and ahead of a weekend visit to Barcelona, while Mallorca showed fighting spirit to take a point against Atletico.
Key players are expected to be Sociedad forward and captain Mikel Oyarzabal, and Mallorca striker Vedat Muriqi. ■
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