Madrid, May 13 (UNI) FC Barcelona could be crowned La Liga champion on Wednesday night without kicking a ball in the wake of Sunday's 4-3 win at home to Real Madrid.
The win left Barca seven points clear of Madrid at the top of the table with just three games left to play and nine points still available, meaning that if Madrid fails to win at home to Mallorca, Barca
will be champion.
Although a draw would leave Madrid six points behind Barcelona with two games to play, teams that are level on points are separated by head-to-head goal difference, which Barca has in its favor after winning both this season's league matches against Madrid.
The match in the Bernabeu is likely to be played in a strange atmosphere after it was confirmed that Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti will leave the club at the end of the season to take charge of the Brazil national team, while Sunday's fourth defeat of the season is also likely to affect the fans.
Real Madrid's injury list grew longer on Monday with confirmation that Vinicius Jr and Lucas Vazquez join Eder Militao, Eduardo Camavinga, Dani Carvajal, Ferland Mendy, Antonio Rudiger and David Alaba on the sidelines, while Aurelien Tchouameni is suspended for an accumulation of yellow cards.
Ancelotti will have to improvise in defense and is likely to call on Madrid's B-team for cover, and there is a chance that Jesus Vallejo could get a rare chance to play, given that Fran Garcia and Raul Asencio are the club's only fit first-team defenders.
A win for Mallorca would temporarily lift the club up to seventh in the table and strengthen its chances of playing in Europe next season.
Valencia is also making a late charge for Europe and has a vital visit to Alaves, with the Basque side currently just one point above Leganes, who occupies the last relegation spot.
Alaves lost 1-0 to Athletic Bilbao on Sunday, but will hope to have striker Kike Garcia available after a muscle strain prevented him from playing at the weekend. Leganes has a difficult match away to fifth-placed Villarreal, with the home side three points behind Athletic and three ahead of sixth-placed Real Betis, with five teams set to play next season's Champions League.
Villarreal has won its last three matches, but three draws and a win have dragged Leganes to the brink of survival, although it will be difficult to stop the home side's free-flowing attack, which features Alex Baena, Ayoze Perez and Nicolas Pepe.
FC Barcelona visits Espanyol on Saturday, and if Real Madrid does win on Wednesday, three points for Hansi Flick's side away to their local rivals would ensure the title.
UNI/XINHUA BM