A decisive double final in La Liga's thrilling run-in
Villarreal face Barca while Atletico face Athletic Bilbao
It’s time to get the calculator out, with emotions running high. The run-in to decide La Liga’s title. Two aspirants, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid are in action today at two difficult places to go. La Ceramica and San Makes respectively, against two teams that didn’t receive Super League invites but are key players in the Spanish top flight.
Barca face Villarreal, who have not been able to beat them since March 2008, 25 games in a row remarkably. They have no margin for error, they need all 21 points left at stake. They are capable of it, winning seven in a row earlier this year before drawing with Cadiz.
Pjanic and Braithwaite are out but everyone else is fit bar the long-term absentees. Messi and Griezmann are in good goalscoring form.
Dutch coach Ronald Koeman could finish the season with a double that nobody believed in when he took over. He has De Jong flying and Busquets back to his best.
When Atletico step out against Athletic Bilbao they will know the Barca result, maximum pressure for Diego Simeone’s side. They get Lemar, Luis Suarez and Joao Felix back though, having survived without them.
Atletico last won the title in 2014 and they knew how to handle the pressure, winning it on the final day at Camp Nou. Now they have three voracious stalkers behind them.
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