By Tim Stannard

Zinedine Zidane has chance to move Real Madrid level at the top of the table just a week after facing the sack

Remember the whole 'Zidane has three matches to save his job, Real Madrid Crisis!, what's with Varane?' thing from about a week ago? 

Well. Scrap that. Didn't really mean it anyway.

LaLiga is now in the 'Real Madrid are inevitable and will win LaLiga despite the challenge of Atletico Madrid' phase after the big Derby win on Saturday.

However, this particular narrative will be over by the end of the day if Real Madrid do not follow up with another victory in a Tuesday clash against Athletic Club. Zidane knows that all too well and the ability of a Real Madrid coach to turn from zero, to hero and back to zero again.

"It has been a very good week and we have to continue at that. The games are hard and there is no time to rest, just to continue in the same way," intoned the Frenchman. 

A win would see Real Madrid move to equal top of the table, sharing 26 points with Real Sociedad and Atletico Madrid. Going against Real Madrid in Tuesday game is a lack of a suspended Casemiro against opponents who actively enjoy a physical ding dong. 

However, Athletic's recent record against Real Madrid is not a strong one with the Basque side without a win in the past 10 LaLiga encounters and failing to score in the last three. What's more, Athletic have just four wins from 12 this season, leaving the side in 13th in the standings. 

Real Madrid vs. Athletic Club is live on beIN SPORTS at 3:50PM ET - that's 3:50PM ET everybody, it's different - so don't be tardy. 

The Sports Burst live show will begin all the build up on our beIN SPORTS USA Facebook page at 12PM ET. 

Barca focuses on chasing down Cadiz with Wednesday La Real match-up

Real Madrid are not the only team in action in LaLiga this week. Barcelona are as well. On Wednesday. Get ready. 

In a normal year, the Camp Nou club would be there or thereabouts in relation to Real Madrid in the standings. 

But not at the moment. To find Barca, you have to go down a bit from first place, past Real Madrid in third, past Villarreal...and then past Granada. Found Cadiz? (who had a bad night on Monday BTW). Keep going. There you go!

Barcelona are currently in eighth place in the table, nine points from Real Sociedad at the top but with two games in hand as some kind of consolation. However, there is a chance for Barca to move into the giddy heights of fifth in the table on Wednesday in a home match against La Real. 

With Barca being Barca at the moment, only about 30% of the talk is around the status of the football team and its relation to the other 19 in the table. 

Around fifteen percent surrounds the upcoming presidential elections on January 24. 

Riqui Puig - the Barcelona Leaker - gets around 4% and the rest involves the future of Lionel Messi, whether it be a free summer move to Manchester City, PSG or an attempt to coax the Argentinean into a new deal at Barcelona, but with a hefty pay cut as an incentive due to the parlous state of Barcelona's accounts. 

Barcelona vs. Real Sociedad is live on beIN SPORTS on Wednesday from 2:50PM ET. 

Libertad looking for Copa Lib shock against Palmeiras

The Copa Libertadores reaches the endgame in the battle for the semifinal places this week. Three quarterfinal second leg matches are taking place and one quarterfinal first leg match - Racing Club and Boca Juniors are playing catch-up on Wednesday.

The first of those second-leg games takes place on Tuesday with Palmeiras hosting Libertad. On paper, the Brazilians are favorites, but reality bit a little last week with the Paraguayans taking a 1-1 scoreline to Brazil for the second leg. 

That match gets underway live on beIN SPORTS at 7:20PM ET. 

Our very free and very excellent, beIN XTRA channel, brings you Copa Sudamericana action with Universidad Catolica hosting Velez Sarsfield in a quarterfinal second-leg clash holding a squeaky thin 2-1 lead. That game gets underway from 7:20PM ET.