Thursday 21 April 2016 13:36, UK
The La Liga title race shows no sign of abating as Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid all win on Wednesday night
Just one month ago, the suggestion that anyone other than Barcelona would be crowned champions in May would have been dismissed as foolish in the extreme.
But Spain's title race was blown wide open as Luis Enrique's men lost three consecutive league games for the first time since February 2003, with the men from the capital taking full advantage.
Another setback on Wednesday night could have seen Barcelona drop as low as third in La Liga, but the Catalans responded to their recent slump in the perfect manner, hammering Deportivo La Coruna 8-0 with a ruthless display at the Estadio Riazor.
Atletico and Real followed suit, keeping pace with the leaders with victories against Athletic Bilbao and Villarreal respectively, as one of the tightest title races in Spain intensified.
As the three title chasers show no sign of relenting, we look at how things could pan out with just four games to go...
Form
Two goals to the good at Villarreal on March 20, Barca could do no wrong, but 45 minutes later the seeds of doubt were planted. Luis Enrique's men threw away a two-goal lead, and then saw their season fall apart at home and on the continent.
Real Madrid capitalised on an indecisive Barca to secure a vital El Clasico win at the Nou Camp - ending the hosts' 39-game unbeaten run.
Then, a fourth defeat in as many visits to Anoeta saw Real Sociedad inflict further damage to Barca's confidence, before a Champions League exit and the Valencia loss left us all dumbfounded.
And it's that form which makes Wednesday's victory at Deportivo all the more impressive. Having seen a nine-point lead at the top whittled away in just three weeks, Barca could ill afford another slip up, and they coped with the pressure admirably, before sitting back to see how their rivals got on.
Since defeat in the Madrid derby in late February, Real have been imperious domestically. Eight wins in a row, scoring 30 goals in the process, has brought Zinedine Zidane's men right back into the hunt - with Madridistas right behind their team following a stunning Champions League comeback against Wolfsburg.
Atletico have done what they do best and performed when it really matters. Diego Simeone's men have won eight of their last nine and have a huge psychological advantage over Barca - having knocked them out of Europe's elite-club competition.
In reality, it is Barcelona's to lose with their remaining fixtures seemingly all more than winnable, on paper. Ahead of Wednesday's trip to Galicia, Deportivo represented Barca's highest-placed opponent in their remaining matches - 13th place - but the Catalans made light work of the task.
Another potential stumbling block is the derby clash with Espanyol on May 8, but Real and Atletico have much more imposing games to come.
Having held their nerve against a tricky Villarreal side on Wednesday, Real face trips to city neighbours Rayo Vallecano and Barca conquerors Sociedad, sandwiching their Champions League semi-final commitments. Deportivo, meanwhile, could have a say in the destination of the trophy, although they'll surely struggle to continue Los Blancos if they repeat their display against Barcelona.
Atletico Madrid's hard-fought victory at the San Mames was arguably the result of the night among the title contenders. Malaga are now on the horizon, with the Andalusians travelling to the Vicente Calderon on Saturday.
Then the Rojiblancos can concentrate on finding a way past the might of Bayern Munich, with fixtures against teams fighting at the wrong end of the league up next domestically.
A final day clash with Celta Vigo will not be easy, but Simeone's sides seem to find the reserves when it really matters, no matter who the opponent.
Head-to-head rule
Barca have the advantage if they finish level on points with their title rivals when the season draws to a close.
If Barcelona end up level with either Atletico or Real at the end of the La Liga season, the Catalan club will prevail on the head-to-head rule.
Unlike the Premier League, which is settled on goal difference, La Liga's tie breakers are decided by a straight aggregate scoreline between the two sides.
Despite beating Barcelona 2-1 in El Clasico earlier this month, Real's 4-0 defeat earlier in the season has them at a disadvantage, while Atletico lost both their league games against Barcelona earlier in the season 2-1.
If Atletico and Real Madrid were to finish level on points, Atletico would prevail having beaten their city rivals at the Bernabeu earlier this year, following a 1-1 draw at the Vicente Calderon in the autumn.
Conclusion
Despite doing their best to make things interesting on the Iberian Peninsula, Barcelona should still secure their sixth La Liga title in eight seasons, with their fixtures by far the most favourable.
Both Madrid sides have Champions League commitments to contend with too, in addition to a harder run-in on paper.
Having been in complete disarray, Barca's morale-boosting victory at Deportivo will have no doubt instilled some confidence in the camp, particularly with Neymar ending his month-long wait for a goal.
Atletico will go about things the way they normally do, and with Simeone at the helm they won't be allowed to relent for a second.
And, after appearing to be down and out, with the pressure mounting on rookie boss Zidane's shoulders, Real have completely turned things around, and with Cristiano Ronaldo firing on all cylinders, who'd bet against them completing a stunning fightback. All to play for!
Who do you think has the toughest run-in? Let us know using the message boards or by tweeting @SkyFootball
