Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho believes the pressure is on his side and not leaders Barcelona in the race for the Primera Division title.
Madrid had trailed Barca by seven points earlier this month but have now trimmed that difference by five points after beating Levante 2-0 at the Bernabeu.
Barca, having been held at Sporting Gijon last weekend and then losing 2-1 at Arsenal in the Champions League in midweek, could be feeling the heat ahead of tonight's visit of Athletic Bilbao, although Mourinho believes it is still his side that is under pressure.
He said: "We have to win and keep winning. For many seasons I've been in front and everybody was asking me if I was feeling the pressure, and I said no, I wasn't feeling the pressure. The pressure is for the second-placed team, not for the first.
"The second place team needs to win every match, so the pressure is on us. But we've won two important matches the last two (Espanyol and Levante), the next one is important too, so you have to keep going and believe, and wait and see."
He added about the Levante win, which saw the Portuguese make a number of changes ahead of their Champions League trip to Lyon: "I liked that my team played a serious match. These games ahead of Champions League matches can be complicated because players may focus more on the European competition. The team played well and was very focused."
Madrid beat Levante 8-0 in their previous meeting at the Bernabeu in the Copa del Rey before Christmas and looked set for another big scoreline when Karim Benzema put them ahead after just six minutes.
However, despite spending almost the entire match camped in Levante's half, Madrid could only net one more goal, with Ricardo Carvalho slotting in just before the interval.
The victory was Madrid's 22nd successive home win in all competitions and marked nine years since Mourinho last suffered a home defeat in the league, which came on February 23, 2002, when his Porto team lost to Beira Mar.
It also gave them a morale boost ahead of Tuesday's Champions League last-16 first leg clash with Lyon in France. Madrid have been knocked out at this stage in each of the last six seasons - including at the hands of Lyon last season.
Looking ahead to that clash, Cristiano Ronaldo said on his club's website: "The Lyon match is very important and it will be difficult, but we are motivated. Lyon are a team that is always in the last 16. We are going there to play well and win."
