As Real Madrid lie in wait, Espanyol can inflict more than just a derby defeat on Barcelona

Slip now and Barcelona will open the door for Real Madrid, writes Ian Hawkey.

Barcelona lead the Primera Liga by two points but anything other than victory over Espanyol could see Real Madrid close the gap. David Ramos / Getty

The spirit of Sant Jordi, the dragon-slayer and patron saint of Catalonia, lingers around Barcelona for several days after his designated date in the calendar.

In the fourth week of April, residents of the region dutifully carry out certain rituals. They hand out red roses to their partners, make gifts of books and hang even more Catalan flags than usual on their balconies.

Come 4pm on Saturday afternoon in Cornella, signs of Catalonia’s shared sense of community will be harder to detect.

Espanyol versus Barcelona is a tetchy city derby, one declared high-risk by the city’s security authorities and deemed potentially very treacherous indeed by the coaching staff of the Primera Liga’s leaders.

Slip up and Barcelona would invite Real Madrid to re-take the summit of the table on Sunday night at Celta Vigo.

Two points separate positions one and two, and Madrid retain the head-to-head advantage should the clubs be level come the end of the season, in six matches time.

RELATED:

Of all the major leagues in Europe, bar France’s Ligue 1, Spain can anticipate much the most compelling, tight denouement.

Around Barcelona, there is talk of a possible treble, one made more piquant by the possibility of a Madrid versus Barcelona showdown at Berlin in the final of the Uefa Champions League after the two sides were kept apart in the semi-final draw yesterday.

“I have always said the league title would be decided on the last day,” Carlo Ancelotti, the Real Madrid coach keeps repeating.

That conviction became Ancelotti’s alibi when Barcelona beat Madrid at Camp Nou to leapfrog them at the top last month.

It looked a wise, reassuring prognostic when Barcelona dropped two points at Sevilla two matchdays ago.

Espanyol, mid-table, may have a significant role in the shakedown. They can be king-makers twice over.

Besides Saturday’s derby against a Barca still feeling heady at their comprehensive defeat of Paris Saint-Germain last Tuesday — if nervous at the prospect of facing Pep Guardiola’s Bayern Munich in the next round of the European Cup — Espanyol will host Madrid on the penultimate day.

Getafe also have a double chance to shape outcomes either way. They meet Barcelona in the middle of next week, at their home on the outskirts of the Spanish capital, and finish their season at home to Madrid.

Pick out the dangerous possible stumbling blocks, and Madrid perhaps have more of them.

They face a couple of very tricky fixtures among their last six games. They go to Sevilla, who are unbeaten at home for more than 12 months, next weekend, and then immediately play fourth-placed Valencia, who beat Madrid in January.

Sunday’s expedition to Celta is no foregone conclusion, either. It was at Celta, late last season, that Ancelotti’s bid for the league title fizzled in defeat.

What of the defending champions, Atletico Madrid? At nine points behind Barcelona, their chances are slender, their morale bruised after being eliminated from the Champions League on Wednesday by a Real Madrid whose flexibility in the face of key injuries, like that of Luka Modric, is becoming an asset.

Ancelotti put Sergio Ramos in midfield against Atletico, to give Real an authority that Modric usually provides, and the plan paid off handsomely.

“We have six finals left to play now,” said Jan Oblak, Atletico’s goalkeeper, ahead of today’s meeting with Elche.

The one “final” circled in red by the two clubs with the most realistic chance of taking the Liga title is Atletico’s home match against Barcelona on the penultimate matchday.

If Atletico, improbably, still have a chance of retaining their crown then, it will be quite a contest. And if they do not, and Real and Barca are still jousting it out, it will be worth listening hard to the emotions among the home supporters.

Denying Barcelona points on that day might give far more joy to Real fans far more than it pleases Atletico supporters.

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @NatSportUAE