MADRID (AFP) -- Valencia's new coach Oscar Fernandez faces a baptism of fire in his first top flight game as his men entertain league leaders and reigning Spanish champions Real Madrid today.

Fernandez was promoted from being the Valencia reserve team coach, which plays its trade in the regional fourth tier of Spanish football, to his current position in the wake of the sacking of Quique Flores on Monday.
""We've overcome much more difficult situations even though doubts remain about how things will go. But the players know they can't afford to fall off the train,"" said team captain David Albelda.
Fernandez will be hoping that Valencia's Spanish international striker David Villa, who has scored 40 goals in the league in the last two seasons, will be available after missing their last two games with a sprained ankle.
He will also have to resolve who wears the gloves for Valencia as neither Timo Hildebrand nor Santiago Canizares have impressed in recent games, with Flores switching between the two goalkeepers.
Nevertheless, despite losing two of their last three league games, Valencia still lie in fourth place and are only four points behind league leaders Real, who themselves have come in for criticism with their erratic form.
""We are on top because we deserve to be,"" said Real goalkeeper Iker Casillas, defending his club off the pitch as well as on it.
""I'm not worried about our critics, win or lose there are always going to be some.
""Everyone is entitled to their opinion but there are always going to be people who enjoy when we lose and, when we win, they will say we failed to convince,"" added this season's safest goalkeeper in the Spanish first division.
Real coach Bernd Schuster will be hoping that defender Fabio Cannavaro and midfielder Mahamadou Diarra are fit to face Valencia.
Both men have been mainstays of Schuster's plans this season but have missed Real's last two games with knee problems.
Barcelona are two points adrift of their eternal rivals after rising to second place in the wake of their controversial 2-0 win over Almeria on Sunday, which has seen the critics of coach Frank Rijkaard also start to queue up.
Thierry Henry looked to be offside prior to scoring and Lionel Messi's penalty had a whiff of being dubiously earned so Rijkaard's team will have a point to prove at struggling Valladolid on Thursday.
In a bid to shake up his mis-firing team, the Dutch coach could be about to do what would have been unthinkable not so long ago and drop his two-time former World Player of the Year Ronaldinho.
The Brazilian has struggled to recover his form after a calf injury last month.
Trips home for international duty also appear to have taken their toll.
""I don't think being on the bench will be a problem for Ronnie. A game every three days is tiring and maybe he could do with a break,"" said Barcelona defender Gianluca Zambrotta on Monday.
Valladolid are currently in the relegation zone two places off the foot of the table and their only win came on the first day of the season so Barca should have a good chance of taking over at the top if Real slip up.
Villarreal slipped back to third after their 4-1 thrashing at Real Zaragoza on Sunday so will be looking to do well at Levante, who prop up the table and have just one point to their name so far.
""However, I don't think Levante will be easy to beat. They may be at the bottom but they don't seem that bad a team to me,"" said Villarreal's Turkish striker Nihat Kahveci on Monday.
Nevertheless, with Levante's sorry streak expected to enter double figures today, comparisons are starting to be made with the infamous Sporting Gijon side of 1997-98 which went a record 23 games before getting a win.