Roberto Soldado believes Real Madrid have the strength in depth to cope with the loss of fellow striker Ruud van Nistelrooy as they prepare to welcome Valencia to the Bernabeu on Sunday.
Real's defeat at Deportivo last weekend saw their lead at the top of the Primera Liga table cut to seven points and their title hopes were dealt a further blow this week with the news that their talisman will be ruled out for around six weeks.
That cloud has a silver lining for Soldado, who could be given his chance to shine for the team.
"Ruud's injury is bad for all of us," Soldado told www.realmadrid.com. "But there are 25 of us and we're all capable of starting.
"The doors may have opened a little more for me. I was given the chance to start last weekend and I have been working hard so that I get another chance to play.
"We wish him all the best and hope that he recovers as soon as possible in order to help us down the home stretch of the season.
"We're all worried because Ruud is a very important player. In spite of Ruud's injury, we're hoping to win our forthcoming matches and maintain our lead."
Valencia have only won one of their past five matches and were humiliated by Real back in October when they were thrashed 5-1 - with Van Nistelrooy scoring twice.
But Real have been in stuttering form of late, losing three of their past five games.
Second-placed Barcelona will be keen to take advantage of any slip up as they welcome relegation-threatened Real Valladolid earlier in the day.
The absence of key playmaker Lionel Messi has clearly taken its toll on the Catalan giants as they have failed to make up ground on faltering Madrid in recent weeks.
Valladolid recorded a credible draw with Barca at home and, level on points with 18th-placed Recreativo Huelva, they will be eager to improve upon that result and push away from the drop zone.
Villarreal will have a keen eye on that game as, two points below Barca, victory at rock-bottom Levante could see them move into second place.
While all the talk has been about Barca and Real for the title, Villarreal have been quietly racking up the points and the Primera Liga run-in now could be a three-horse race.
The most exciting clash at the bottom of the table sees Real Betis travel to Osasuna in a relegation six-pointer.
Osasuna are two points above their opponents in an incredibly tight bottom half of the Primera Liga table.
In-form Getafe travel to Athletic Bilbao hoping to continue their remarkable run.
Getafe are undefeated in their past 11 matches - a run which has propelled them up the table to eighth place and seen them reach the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup as well as a second consecutive Copa del Rey final.
Elsewhere on Sunday Racing Santander host Recreativo Huelva, Real Zaragoza play Almeria and Espanyol travel to Murcia.
Saturday's matches see Real Mallorca welcome a Deportivo La Coruna side full of confidence after beating Real Madrid last weekend, while Sevilla could leapfrog above their opponents Atletico Madrid into fourth place.
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