Barca on the brink: Primera Liga champions looking to avoid implosion as they seek to end rotten run against Deportivo
Barca must reverse an amazing loss of form to win all five of their remaining league games to be assured of retaining their title
Barcelona must reverse an amazing loss of form to win all five of their remaining La Liga games to be assured of retaining their title, starting with a trip to Deportivo la Coruna on Wednesday.
The Catalan giants have taken just one point from their last four La Liga games and lost four of their last five in all competitions having previously enjoyed a 39-game unbeaten run stretching back six months.
Only Barca’s superior head-to-head record separates them from their Champions League conquerers Atletico Madrid at the top of the table with Real Madrid lurking just a point further back after a run of seven straight league wins.
All three face tough tests on a Wednesday evening of action that will go a long way to settling the title with the fixture list for all three favourable in the final four games.
Barca are up first as they travel to Galicia in a desperate search to snap their worst run of league defeats in 13 years.
“If there is a team capable of doing it and much more given what they have done, it is this Barca,” said Luis Enrique.
“We don’t have any margin for error, but I prefer to lose like this than win playing badly,” added Pique.
“Football is like this, sometimes it is marvellous, sometimes it is so cruel.”
Atletico face a daunting trip to Athletic Bilbao with the Basques still eyeing Champions League football next season having moved to within six points of fourth-placed Villarreal at the weekend.
A 2-1 victory at San Mames propelled Atletico towards the title two years ago and Diego Simeone’s men could be further boosted by the absence of Bilbao’s two top scorers this season in Aritz Aduriz and Inaki Williams through injury.
“We have the possibility to play an important game in Bilbao and continue competing in the four games left afterwards,” said Simeone when quizzed on Atletico’s title chances.
“It will be difficult, but we have to do what the schedule demands of us and that is win, win and win again.”
Real will have the advantage of knowing what Barca and Atletico have done when they kick-off in the late game at home to Villarreal.
Zinedine Zidane could afford the luxury of resting the likes of Sergio Ramos, Casemiro and Luka Modric for Saturday’s 5-1 rout of Getafe on Saturday with all three expected to return.
The much-criticised Danilo is also expected to start at right back with Dani Carvajal a major injury doubt.