Real Madrid may yet have a chance to salvage their very slim La Liga title ambitions when they travel to Espanyol on Saturday evening.
The suspension of a proposed players' strike over television rights has ensured that the season's remaining games will go ahead as planned.
Barcelona can wrap up the championship with victory over Atletico Madrid, but Real will be hoping that their capital rivals can do them a favour and allow them to take the race for the title to the final day.
Espanyol
© Getty Images
Espanyol will be another team relieved to have seen the strike lifted as they also have plenty to play for.
Sergio Gonzalez's side can no longer qualify for the Europa League, but they could finish as high as seventh with a strong end to the season. They could also drop to as low as 12th if they lose their final two games.
Seventh would be a marked improvement on their 14th-place finish of last term and the first time that they have ended the campaign in the top half of the table in three years.
They recorded a second successive away win last time out as they beat Eibar 2-0 courtesy of goals from Sergio Garcia and Christian Stuani.
While their home form - eight wins and six draws from 18 games - has been generally solid too, they have yet to beat any of the top six sides at home in the league.
However, they do boast victories over Valencia and Sevilla in cup competitions this term, proving that Estadi Cornella-El Prat is not an easy place to visit.
Recent form: WDLWDW
Real Madrid
© Getty Images
Jose Mourinho, Manuel Pellegrini and Carlos Queiroz have learned the hard way what the penalty is for a trophiless season at Real Madrid. Fabio Capello and Jupp Heynckes have learned that even a major trophy does not guarantee your future.
Carlo Ancelotti may be about to learn something similar. Following their Champions League semi-final defeat to Juventus on Wednesday, reports are rife that the Italian manager will be dispensed with in the summer.
Long gone are the memories of his Champions League and Copa del Rey double of last season. Last year counts for nothing at Madrid. It is all about the present and they appear likely to end up with no silverware this campaign.
It has been a terrible week by Los Blancos standards - losers of a Champions League tie which they were expected to win and held to a 2-2 draw by Valencia which saw them lose precious ground in their pursuit of Barcelona.
They are four points behind their fierce rivals with two games to play. Barca do have a difficult trip to Atletico to negotiate, but a final-day visit of Deportivo La Coruna is a handy fallback should they lose at the Vicente Calderon.
Real are clinging on to the tiniest fragment of hope, but that is all that they and Ancelotti have to resurrect their season.
Recent form: WWWWWD
Recent form (all competitions): WWWLDD
Team News
© Getty Images
Luka Modric's injury and the exile of Sami Khedira again leaves Ancelotti short in midfield. The Italian is likely to stick with the more attacking option of Isco as partner to Toni Kroos rather than recall Asier Illarramendi.
Despite their midweek disappointment, Real could field the same side as they did in the second leg against Juventus. Gareth Bale is under pressure from the fans and Spanish media and Karim Benzema not fully fit, but Ancelotti will gamble on his best players at this stage of the season.
In the back five, Raphael Varane may again be preferred to Pepe in central defence while goalkeeper Iker Casillas could play his penultimate Madrid game as speculation intensifies over his future.
Espanyol could name an unchanged team, with the 32-goal strike force of Garcia, Stuani and former Manchester City flop Felipe Caicedo all starting.
Loanee Lucas Vazquez is unlikely to feature against his parent club, while ex-Swansea City man Jose Canas is also missing from midfield.
Espanyol possible starting lineup:
Casilla; Lopez, Juan Fuentes, Colotto, Alvaro, Arbilla; Sanchez, Abraham, Stuani; Sergio Garcia, Caicedo
Real Madrid possible starting lineup:
Casillas; Carvajal, Varane, Ramos, Marcelo; Isco, Kroos; James, Ronaldo, Bale; Benzema
Head To Head
Real have beaten Espanyol five times over the past two seasons and only conceded one goal in the process. Their 3-0 victory at the Bernabeu in January was their biggest margin of victory during that period.
The hosts have to go back to 2007 for the last time that they beat Madrid, and have only ever beaten them seven times in 42 league meetings.
We say: Espanyol 1-3 Real Madrid
Espanyol need to be wary of a Madrid backlash. Los Blancos may have been deflated by recent results, but they still comfortably have enough to pick off Spain's mid-table teams and will want to do everything that they can to take the title race to the last day.
No Data Analysis info
