La Liga leaders Barcelona escaped with a 3-2 win from Sevilla after what appeared to be a rout at one point turned into a nerve-wracking end to an entertaining match. On the other hand, Real Madrid dismantled Athletic Bilbao 5-1 to keep the pressure on leaders Barca with one point separating both sides. The title’s destination will be decided next weekend when the Catalans host Valladolid and Los Galacticos travel to play Malaga with two sides expected to win convincingly against the struggling sides as Valladolid and Malaga are fighting for survival with clubs placed 18th and 16th respectively in the league.

Despite the two clubs being at risk of relegation the firepower of Barca and Los Galacticos along with their defensive line ought to be more than capable of seeing off the two strugglers. The Catalans will once again rely on the goals and inspiration of Lionel Messi who opened the scoring against Sevilla while Los Blancos will look to their record signing Cristiano Ronaldo to provide the goals and added impetus to the club’s attack. Ironically, the Portuguese star also opened the scoring for Real and the two stars have duelled in the last two season over individual honours while this season has seen them go head-to-head on two occasions and compete over la Liga title.

Both title challengers are firing on all cylinders with Barca putting behind their disappointing Champions League exit at the hands of Inter to dismantle Villarreal 4-1 and record a precious 3-2 win against Sevilla while Real inflicted the third home defeat on Mallorca in convincing manner following a 4-1 romp. While Los Galacticos have the best attack led by Ronaldo and Gonzalo Higuain who have combined for an impressive 51 goals in the league, Barca have the league’s best defensive record and their star player Messi has managed to score 31 la Liga goals.

The fact Real are still within a point of Barca is quite remarkable considering the Catalans have taken the six points from their two duals in El Clasico this season. Next weekend will witness the crowning of the league champions and it would be hard to bet against the Catalans retaining their title considering their stunning home form and the weak attacking record of the visitors who have scored a measly 37 times to rank as one of the league’s weakest attacking sides. Likewise, Los Galacticos will unlikely face difficulty in overcoming a Malaga side with 15 defeats in the current campaign and suffering from inconsistent form at home.

The title will go down the wire but unless Valladolid can spring a shocking result then the destination of the winner will be a mere formality as Barcelona will likely end up winning the match and celebrating a second consecutive la Liga championship at the Camp Nou.

Los Galacticos were able to defeat Valencia 2-0 courtesy of their two top scorers Gonzalo Higuain and Cristiano Ronaldo. Real Madrid have been heavily dependent on the duo to deliver the goals and achieve victories. When the two are having a relatively subdued match, Real tend to struggle as witnessed against Barcelona.

With the win Los Galacticos have cut the gap with Barca to a single point. Barcelona were able to manage a draw against Espanyol despite having a player sent-off. Dani Alves was given his marching orders after receiving two yellow cards. Barca have to play Inter in the Champions League and this could cause extra distractions for the Catalan club.

The remaining fixtures for both clubs reveal a tougher schedule for Barca because the Catalans have to travel to play both Villarreal and Sevilla while Real’s toughest match will be away to Mallorca. Can Ronaldo and Higuain help Los Galacticos stage a comeback after the disappointing El Clasico to claim la Liga title? The title is still Barca’s to lose and if Lionel Messi and Xavi Hernandez play to their best then it would be hard to see the Catalans throw away the title even with the tricky remaining schedule.

Barcelona emerged victorious from ‘El Clasico’ after beating Real Madrid 2-0 in Madrid. This was the first home defeat for Los Galacticos in la Liga and might signal the end of Real’s challenge to wrestle away the league title from the Catalan club.

Real’s defenders  looked shaky not only because of Lionel Messi’s movement but also due to midfielder Xavi Hernandez who dissected the capital side’s defensive line with his incisive passing and pinpoint assists. In fact Messi could have had a hat-trick as he missed two other golden opportunities created by the midfield maestro who was in supreme form. While Messi was being referred to as unstoppable prior to this match, Xavi went about his business in a calm, assured and effective manner without much fuss. Messi is certainly the world’s best player at the moment but Xavi could be considered a close second on the evidence of tonight’s performance and his priceless contribution over the course of the season.

Real Madrid were missing Brazilian Kaka and despite his failure to meet expectations in his first season in Spain, the former Milan hero was still sorely missed because he could have created more options for Los Galacticos and one moment of magic from him would have sufficed to create a scoring opportunity. Barca showed they do have the edge because of the familiarity between the players and the way they work for each other. Real’s players are still not on the same page and too dependent on Cristiano Ronaldo. Spain’s number one Iker Casillas was also to thank for limiting the magnitude of the result as he performed two impressive saves to deny Messi from scoring more goals.

With seven rounds remaining from la Liga it would be wrong to assume Barca have won the title and Messi was one of the first to insist there is a lot to player for. On the other hand, Real’s record signing Ronaldo stressed the race for the league title is not over yet in a clear move to keep the morale in the Madrid camp from collapsing even further.

The Barcelona win basically paves the way for the Catalan side to retain la Liga title provided they remain focused and avoid being complacent in the last seven matches. Barca have the talent and the depth to win all the remaining fixtures while Real have realistically handed the title to their rivals and will now have to keep winning and hope Barcelona begin to drop points.

The titans of Spanish football will face off next weekend at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu in the traditional El Classico which will carry an even greater importance this time because it could decide the league title’s destination. The two clubs are tied on top of la Liga with the same number of points but Los Galacticos are one goal ahead in terms of the goals scored and conceded differential.

Barca have the stronger defensive line while the hosts who are led by record signing Cristiano Ronaldo have the better offensive record. While some might see this clash as a duel between Ronaldo and Barca’s Lionel Messi, this is far from the accurate truth as Los Galacticos have Gonzalo Higuain in their ranks and he is the club’s top scorer with 23 goals to Ronaldo’s 17. In Barca’s case Messi might be the star who is on a level above everyone else but his teammates have a crucial role and their contribution cannot be underestimated. Messi might be the top scorer in la Liga with a stunning ratio of 26 goals in 27 matches and he has provided 9 assists, but midfielder Xavi Hernandez and full-back Daniel Alves have both given 7 assists this season. Swedish star Zlatan Ibrahimovic has contributed 15 league goals including the important winner in the match between the two earlier this season.

Real Madrid have won all 15 of their home games so how will Barca cope with that and can they be the first to at least force a draw in Madrid? One key element for Barca will be how long their defenders can hold Real Madrid’s offensive weapons, particularly Ronaldo, in check. The responsibility will fall on the shoulders of club captain Carles Puyol who will have to lead the back-line by example and keep an eye on not just  on goal scorers Ronaldo and Higuain, but also be aware of the danger posed by Kaka, Xabi Alonso, Marcelo and Rafael Van der Vaart who all have at least 5 assists or more.

On the other hand, Los Galacticos will rely on home court advantage having won all their games at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu in la Liga as well as the marquee players mentioned above. In addition, the Real Madrid defenders will also play a massive role since they will have to contain not just Messi but Swedish striker Ibrahimovic, midfielders Xavi and Andres Iniesta among others. This is shaping up into a clash of epic proportions and the supporters of the beautiful game will be hoping for a spectacle filled with goals and punctuated by fair play.

For the fans of either club the focus will be on achieving victory in order to push ahead with the drive for the Spanish title. Barca would like to retain their crown while Real Madrid are hoping to justify all their spending which reached stratospheric proportions. To some it might be  just about Ronaldo versus Messi but who will be celebrating at the end of the match could very well depend on the contribution of their teammates.