Judgement day: What Barcelona, Atletico and Madrid need to win La Liga

The three teams are all in action on Sunday as the title race reaches its penultimate hurdle. Here, Goal looks at the run-in for each and the possible permutations. 

A fantastic finale awaits in La Liga. Barcelona, Atletico and Real Madrid can all still win Spain's Primera Division, but with only two rounds remaining and one point still separating the top three teams, there is now no margin for error at all.

Barcelona's destiny is in its own hands. Luis Enrique's side allowed the two capital clubs back into the race with three consecutive defeats in La Liga recently, but two victories in its final fixtures against Espanyol and Granada will see the Catalans claim their sixth title in eight seasons.

The Blaugrana could even win it on Sunday, but only if they beat Espanyol in the derby at Camp Nou, Atletico loses at Levante and Madrid fails to overcome Valencia at the Santiago Bernabeu. All three are in action at 11 AM ET and the title is set to go down to the final round of matches for the first time since 2013-14.

"Only we can be champions tomorrow," Luis Enrique said in his pre-match press conference on Saturday. And he added: "I'm not worried about the rival; I'm only concerned with being better than Espanyol on the pitch."

Barca and Espanyol have met three times already this term, with two wins for the Blaugrana (both in the Copa del Rey) and a goalless draw in La Liga - ill-tempered matches that included a tunnel brawl at Camp Nou, two red cards for the visitors, a subsequent ban for Luis Suarez, then a pig's head and also some distasteful banners aimed at Shakira at Cornella.

Espanyol is already safe from relegation, but the city's second team is keen to deny its rival the title - just like it did in this fixture in 2006-07.

That match saw Raul Tamudo score twice for the Pericos in a 2-2 draw which allowed Madrid back into the race and Fabio Capello's side stole the title from Barca on the final day of the season.

The former Spain striker's intervention that night (in which Messi also scored with his hand in another goal compared to Diego Maradona) became known as the "Tamudazo" and current Espanyol forward Felipe Caicedo admitted this week that he would like to produce something similar.

"Caicedazo! I like that," he said. "It sounds good. It's just another game of football, but we have the chance to do something special and historic."

For his part, however, Luis Enrique said: "I couldn't tell you when the 'Tamudazo' was and I am not interested in the slightest." 

Barca is currently top with 85 points, leading Atletico thanks to its superior head-to-head record in the two games against Diego Simeone's side. And if Barca was to finish level with Real at the end of the season, Luis Enrique's men would also win it on the head-to-head versus Los Blancos.

After Espanyol, Barca travels to Granada next Sunday and that match could provide another tough test given that the Andalusians are fighting for survival at the other end of La Liga. On paper, however, Barca is the big favorite to win both of its last two games.

Atletico, meanwhile, is in action away to Levante in the penultimate round of matches. Like Espanyol, the Valencia-based side has nothing much to play for now in La Liga having already been relegated, but recent meetings have been bad-tempered and the Rojiblancos have only won five of their 13 games at the Ciutat de Valencia.

Simeone has yet to win there and Levante complicated Atleti's Liga campaign in 2013-14 by beating the Madrid side 2-0 at the end of that season. Luckily for the Colchoneros, Barca and Madrid could only draw that weekend, though, and they still went on to claim the title.

"If we don't do what we have to do, then it's impossible to look at the others," Simeone said on Saturday. "We have to concentrate on what we can achieve."

Two wins will be enough for Atletico (which is at home to Celta Vigo on the final weekend) to win La Liga only if Barca fails to win its final two matches in the Primera Division.







Meanwhile, Madrid's task is more difficult. Zinedine Zidane's side is only one off the pace, but needs both Barca and Atletico to drop points if it is to win the title - as well as making sure it triumphs in the club's last two league matches.

Missing Gareth Bale, Keylor Navas and Dani Carvajal for the game at home to Valencia, Zidane will hope Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo are both back to full fitness for Sunday's showdown.

"It's not an easy match," Zidane said on Saturday. "Valencia are a difficult rival who play good football. Our idea is to go out and give our all. We're at home and we have to pick up the points."

Real Madrid has won its last 10 matches in La Liga, but 2-2 draws in this fixture in May all but ended the club's chances of winning the title in each of the last two seasons and Valencia always raises its game against Los Blancos due to the rivalry between the two teams. The Mestalla-based side also held Real to a 2-2 draw at Mestalla in what was the last game in charge for Rafa Benitez in January and won 2-1 at Camp Nou recently.

In their final league match, Madrid then travel to Riazor (a ground where they failed to win for 18 season between 1992 and 2010) and where it will meet Deportivo La Coruna side possibly still fighting to avoid relegation.

Before that, however, the three title challengers simply have to win on Sunday in what is the first of two thrilling matchdays that will decide La Liga. Don't miss it.