Who is keeping Raul and Karim Benzema out of the team? Find out in Kelvin Leong's La Liga Team of the Week.

Andres Palop - Sevilla

Playing with ten men, Sevilla relied on their veteran goalkeeper Palop to give them a point. Palop repelled everything that came his way and Athletic Bilbao would not have scored even if they played for another 90 minutes. That was how good Palop was.

Ruben Gonzalez - Mallorca

He stormed in and scored a powerful header to lead Mallorca to a comeback victory against Valladolid. A rock in defence and a goal to boot. Can't ask for more can you.

Joan Capdevilla - Villarreal

Capdevilla is as strong as an ox! Nothing gets past him in defence. Rock-solid. Helped the Yellow Submarines to a 1-0 win over Deportivo. Great on the overlap and a commanding figure at the back. One of the La Liga's top defenders this season.

Juan Forlin - Espanyol

The Argentine defender will become one of the best defenders in the Spanish game if he continues to play to his strengths. Helped Espanyol secure a 1-1 draw against Xerez.

Andoni Iraola - Athletic Bilbao

Sevilla are one of the best attacking teams in the La Liga but they came up against Iraola and his stubborn team-mates who refused to budge. Iraola stuck to his task at the back but provided the occasional foray down the other end to give the visitors an added dimension.

Diego Castro - Sporting Gijon

Castro is the star of a rather average Sporting Gijon side. Most of their good play comes through the legs of the left winger and against Osasuna at the weekend, Casto's goal killed off the tie as Gijon came back from the dead to take all three points.

Xavi - Barcelona

Just how good is Xavi? Some say he is the perfect midfielder and he backed up those claims by putting Lionel Messi through to score a late winner against a stubborn Malaga side. No one in world football can dictate play better than Xavi at the moment.

Jose Antonio Reyes - Atletico Madrid

While Sergio Aguero and Diego Forlan were the goalscorers against Valencia, it was the former Arsenal winger who outclassed the entire field. He dazzled down the wing and everything good that Atletico managed came through him. Marvelous display of wing-play.

Kaka - Real Madrid

All the criticism on Kaka has been quite unfair. His brilliant showing against Tenerife proved that he can outshine Cristiano Ronaldo and become the chief playmaker for Manuel Pellegrini's side as we head towards the crucial part of the season.

Humberto Suazo - Zaragoza

The club brought him to Spain in January, hoping that he can score the goals to keep them up. Suazo has arrived, conquered, and is already proving to be one of the best buys of the January transfer window. A brace at the weekend away to Getafe helped seal three points.

Gonzalo Higuain - Real Madrid

The Argentine hitman has done a fantastic job, keeping Karim Benzema and Raul glued to the bench. His confidence is sky-high at the moment and whenever he gets the ball, there is a likely chance that it will end up at the back of the net.