Published May 1, 2026
If Barcelona maintain their winning form and Real Madrid endure further setbacks, they could win their second straight La Liga title this weekend.
The Catalan club leads Madrid by 11 points with five games remaining.
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If Barcelona win against Osasuna on Saturday, Madrid must also win against Espanyol on Sunday to extend their title race by at least one more round.
If everything goes according to Barcelona’s plans this weekend, their next match will see them welcome newly crowned champions Real Madrid to the Clasico.
Hansi Flick is on the brink of winning a third major title in his two years in charge of Barcelona, including the Copa del Rey in 2025, while Madrid face missing out on a major silver medal for the second year in a row.
How will the team shape up for the La Liga weekend?
Barcelona is missing out on the domestic title.
They have won nine consecutive games in La Liga, but their domestic winning streak was ruined when they lost to Atlético Madrid in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, only to lose their place in the Champions League.
However, the Catalan club cannot expect an easy victory in Pamplona as they look to put even more pressure on second-placed Real Madrid.
Ninth-placed Osasuna have lost only twice at El Sadar Stadium this season, continuing a 10-game unbeaten streak at home.
On the other hand, Madrid have finished a disappointing season in which Xabi Alonso was sacked and, unless events change drastically, Alvaro Arbeloa will also be sacked in the off-season, and have limped along, winning just one of their last six games in all competitions.
Espanyol are in a bigger rut than Madrid.
Espanyol were in fifth place at the start of 2026, but this year they are still winless in an astonishing 16 games, dropping them into a large group of teams looking to avoid relegation.
Atletico Madrid face Valencia on Saturday before Diego Simeone’s side visit Arsenal next week for the Champions League semi-final, which ended in a 1-1 draw in the first leg.
Who are the key players this weekend?
Barcelona’s 22-year-old midfielder Fermin López, who is expected to play for Spain at this year’s World Cup, is finishing the season as one of the most astute attacking players.
The goal in last Saturday’s 2-0 win over Getafe was Fermin’s 13th goal of the season and he also provided 16 assists.
While Madrid are struggling, Vinicius Junior has continued his good form with two goals in the last two league games.
Rafinha’s return eases Barcelona’s Yamal loss
Lamine Yamal has missed the season at Barcelona due to a muscular injury, but Flick has congratulated winger Rafinha on his return from injury.
Rafinha injured his hamstring while playing for Brazil in March and was sidelined as Barcelona were eliminated from the Champions League by Atlético.
“Rafa is a player who always gives 100 percent, both on the pitch and in training,” Flick told reporters on Friday.
“His mentality, his attitude is always 100 percent and that helps us a lot. He had to suffer… (injuries) this season so it’s important for us to have him back.”
“He’ll be traveling with us too and we’ll see what happens (against Osasuna)…I think it’s great for the team to have him back because he’s one of our captains, he’s positive and he gives us what we need.”
Flick also added that Yamal is recovering well from his hamstring injury and is not expected to threaten his World Cup chances.
“He’s doing well and his evolution is going well. I think we’ll see him at the World Cup,” Flick said.
“He still has time to recover and come back. And this is what he wants.”
Does Barcelona have their sights set on achieving a La Liga record?
If Barça win their remaining five league games, they will reach the 100-point record, first achieved by Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid in 2012 and followed by Tito Vilanova’s Barcelona in 2013.
“We’re just focused on the next game, but of course we want to win every game from now until the end of the season,” Flick said.
“For me, it would be perfect if we could win every match, but at the same time we have a formidable opponent. Our job is to play at the highest level in every match and learn from the match for the next match and training.”
“This is our philosophy, our attitude, our mentality.”
