MADRID — Runaway leaders Barcelona will have the chance to clinch their 27th La Liga crown with four games to spare when they face city rivals Espanyol on Sunday evening.
Victory at RCDE Stadium would give Barca an unassailable lead over Atletico or Real Madrid with four games left.
The leaders moved to 82 points after beating Osasuna 1-0 last week and are 13 points ahead of second-placed Atletico and 14 clear of bitter rivals Real who dropped to third after losing 2-0 at Real Sociedad.
Barca could even clinch the title before stepping on the pitch if both Atletico and Real fail to win their games.
Real’s slim chances would end on Saturday if last year’s champions do not beat Getafe. They are expected to rest several key players as they focus on their Champions League semi-final second-leg at Manchester City on Wednesday after the 1-1 draw at Santiago Bernabeu.
Atletico on Sunday play bottom side Elche, who has been relegated to the second division. Diego Simeone’s side are in a great run of form, having lost only two La Liga matches since the World Cup break and winning 14 of their last 19 league games.
Barcelona was last La Liga champions in 2018-19 and Real Madrid and Atletico have claimed the crown in the last three seasons.
After a glorious run from 2005-19 when they won four Champions League and 10 LaLiga titles, Barca have struggled on and off the pitch and their financial problems were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
They were unable to re-sign club great Lionel Messi who left as a free agent for Paris St Germain in 2021 but the arrival of former Spain and Barcelona midfielder Xavi Hernandez as manager in November 2021 has revived their fortunes.
He has built a team with a rock-solid defence led by goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, rising stars Pedri and Gavi in midfield and Poland striker Robert Lewandowski in attack.
Elsewhere, Sergio Busquets will leave Barcelona in June at the end of his contract, the midfielder confirmed, ending a highly successful era at the club.
“The moment has arrived to announce this is my last season at Barcelona,” said Busquets on Instagram.
“It has been an unforgettable journey.”
Busquets has won the Champions League three times with Barcelona and La Liga on eight occasions before this season, with the Catalans set to triumph again for the first time in four years.
The 34-year-old has been a key player for Barca since breaking into the first team under their former coach Pep Guardiola in 2008, making over 700 appearances to date.
He did not say where he might go next, with Spanish reports suggesting he may move to a team in Saudi Arabia.
“It has been an honour, a dream, a pride. It has been everything to be able to defend and represent this badge for so many years, but everything has a beginning and an end,” continued Busquets.
“Although it has not been an easy decision, I think the time has come.”
Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez, who played with Busquets in the team’s midfield for several years, wanted the midfielder to stay next season, but said the decision was up to him.
The veteran has long been thought to favour a move to Major League Soccer in the United States at the end of his Barcelona contract, with Inter Miami one of the teams mentioned.
However in recent days the player has been linked in Spanish media with a move to the Saudi Arabian top flight.
Former Barcelona forward Lionel Messi, a close friend of Busquets, is another player who may end up in the oil-rich kingdom after sources close to negotiations told AFP it was a “done deal” for the Argentine forward to move to the Middle East.
However Messi’s father and agent Jorge Messi said that the World Cup winner’s future would only be decided at the end of the season.
Busquets won the World Cup with Spain in 2010 and the European Championship in 2012, a key fixture in the national team for nearly 15 years until he retired from international duty in December.
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