Becks ready for Barca test

David Beckham is eagerly awaiting his next test of fire when 98,000 Catalans jeer him on to the pitch at Barcelona's Nou Camp on Saturday.

The England captain last night added a seventh assist to a season which has already brought him six goals as Real Madrid beat Atletico Madrid 2-0.

But the biggest cheer of the night came midway through the first half when the stadium scoreboard showed Barcelona had lost 5-1 at Malaga.

"I heard the crowd yelling and I wondered what was going on but then I looked up at the scoreboard, saw the result and I understood," said Beckham.

"I'm sure I won't get a quiet reception when I get there but I look forward to it."

Real will arrive in Barcelona with a 10-point gap separating the two sides. Ronaldo's goal after 17 seconds stunned Atletico, and Beckham's 70-yard pass for Raul to head the second finished them off.

Beckham said: "It was a great win and it makes it easier when the team get off to a great start by scoring like that."

For Beckham it was a third taste of revenge over Diego Simeone, the Argentinian whose gamesmanship led to him being sent off at France 98.

Their second-half confrontation, when Simeone accused the former Manchester United midfielder of using an elbow on him, did not explode but it took several moments of finger jabbing and heated words before calm was restored.