Beckham, who will play for Major League Soccer's Los Angeles Galaxy in the summer, was forced to sit out last Saturday's thrilling 4-3 home victory over Espanyol after picking up a booking in the previous match against Sevilla that resulted in a one-match ban.

Although Madrid managed to see off Espanyol without Beckham, coach Fabio Capello could hand an immediate recall to the former England captain for Sunday's game as the Spanish giants look to consolidate top spot in La Liga.

Beckham has been in fine form since returning from a six-week injury layoff last month.

Beckham, 32, has a maximum of four Primera Liga matches left before he leaves Madrid for the Galaxy, who signed him to a five-year, $250 million deal.

The first of those four games sees Madrid travel to Huelva this weekend looking to make amends for their 3-0 home defeat to Recre in the final match before the winter break in December.

After that, Madrid completes its campaign with two home matches against Deportivo La Coruna and final-day opponents Real Mallorca, with a tricky away trip against fifth-place Real Zaragoza in between.

Madrid moved to the top of the table after beating Espanyol to record its seventh win in eight league matches, climbing above two-time reigning champions Barcelona, which was held to a 1-1 home draw by lowly Real Betis on Sunday.

Both Madrid and Barca have 66 points but Capello's men are top due to their superior head-to-head record against the Catalan side this season.

Madrid won the most recent of its 29 league titles in the 2002-03 season, while they have failed to win a single major honor since Beckham joined the club in the summer of 2003.