La Liga title race: Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico's remaining fixtures

Will Barça’s blip cost them in the title race?

Barcelona forward Luis Suarez reacts to missing a chance against Valencia (Getty)

Barcelona’s march towards their second successive La Liga title under Luis Enrique hit the bricks in recently, as we’re sure you are aware.

After their dramatic clásico defeat to a depleted Real Madrid at the Nou Camp, Barça's season entered a tailspin. There is now a possibility that a team recently hailed as the best of their generation may end this season without a trophy.

The Catalans stopped the rot with an emphatic 8-0 win at the Riazor against Deportivo La Coruna but challengers Atletico Madrid and Real also won and the point differences between the three clubs remained the same.

La Liga - current table

Current La Liga standings (Google)

So, how does the run-in look for each of the teams in contention?

Barcelona

Barcelona's remaining fixtures (Google)

It's very much still Barça's to win.

If teams finish level on points in La Liga, head-to-head record is used to separate them rather than goal difference. Enrique's men have superior records over both clubs from the capital in this regard, so they currently top the table, even though Atletico are level on points with them.

Their run-in is also, on paper, relatively simple. All their forthcoming opponents are in the league’s lower reaches, with 12^th-placed Real Betis their strongest opponent on paper. A local derby against Espanyol is also scheduled for the season's penultimate weekend.

Atletico Madrid

Atletico Madrid's remaining fixtures (Google)

Diego Simeone’s men may have closed the gap but their next few fixtures are tougher than those of their title rivals.

They picked up a big three points in the Basque country against Athletic Bilbao, but next come mid-table Malaga. Rayo Vallencano and Levante will be simpler ties to negotiate but this season’s surprise package, Celta Vigo, will be no pushovers on the last day of the season.

With this run-in and those Champions League semi-finals against Bayern Munich to contend with, Atleti may be hard-pressed to continue their fight on all fronts.

Real Madrid

Real Madrid's remaining fixtures (Google)

After an important win against Villarreal, it’s a trip to Rayo Vallecano, who are likely to show greater resistance than they did while going down 10-2 at the Santiago Bernabeu in December.

Los Blancos will then meet a number of mid-table sides with little to play for. Real go on the road to Real Sociedad, where Barcelona were recently felled, before entertaining Valencia. On the last day, they travel to Deportivo.

So, who will come out on top?

Will Barça be celebrating again this year? (Getty)

On paper, you would still fancy Barcelona to be the first to cross the line, even if they do so with a limp rather than a canter.

Their win in the Riazor was a statement of intent and, considering the difficulty of their remaining fixtures, you would back them to see it out from here.