La Liga matches set to be postponed after flash floods

More than 1,000 troops have been deployed across Spain to help with rescue operations

All football matches in the Valencia region, including Real Madrid's visit to Valencia on Saturday, are set to be postponed this weekend after the devastating flash floods in Spain.

At least 95 people have died after torrential rain in the country, with the town of Chiva, near Valencia, receiving more than a year's worth of rain in eight hours.

The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has received a request from La Liga and the clubs to push back all matches in the area in the top two professional divisions.

That also includes Villarreal against Rayo Vallecano in the top flight, plus Castellon v RC Ferrol, CD Eldense against SD Huesca and Malaga's trip to Levante in the Segunda division.

The decision needs to be finalised by the RFEF's competition committee on Thursday but the federation has recommended all non-professional matches are also postponed.

A minute's silence will be held at all of the matches that do go ahead over the next two weekends.

The move comes after Valencia's match against Parla Escuela scheduled for Wednesday, and a host of other Copa del Rey matches, were postponed.

Valencia's away game against the sixth-tier side was to be played in Parla, located 15 miles from the Spanish capital of Madrid, on Wednesday.

The match has been rescheduled to 6 November and will be played at the same venue.

Second division Levante's trip to fourth-tier Pontevedra in north-west Spain has been pushed back to next week, as has the tie between Xerez, also in the fourth tier, and AD Ceuta, of the third.

Thursday's fixtures were also affected, with fourth-tier Ejea versus third-tier Hercules de Alicante postponed by a week and sixth-tier Manises' home tie against top-flight Getafe now postponed to an undecided date.

La Liga sides Real Sociedad and Osasuna have also had their respective trips to Jove Espanol of the fifth tier and sixth-tier Chiclana postponed.

Several top-flight clubs, including Real Madrid and Barcelona, expressed condolences to the victims of the floods.

"Barcelona wishes to express its sympathy to the relatives of the victims and our solidarity with the counties in Valencia and parts of Albacete and Andalusia affected by the torrential rain," Barcelona said in a statement.