2-horse race: Breaking down the final stretch of La Liga's title chase

Things can change in the blink of an eye, and in football, nowhere is that truer than with this season's La Liga duel.

Once destined for a Spanish-record 33rd crown, Real Madrid now has company at the podium, and its a pedestal that only has room for one.

After Barcelona suffered three consecutive draws toward the end of November to nine-man Malaga, Real Sociedad, and at Camp Nou against Real, the Catalan side sat six points adrift of its rival from the Spanish capital.

That gap was shrunk to three when an idle Real Madrid headed off to Japan to win its second Club World Cup.

The margin between the two La Liga behemoths would vacillate between a three- and six-point threshold, and with a match in hand, Zinedine Zidane's lot headed into last Sunday's El Clasico at the Santiago Bernabeu knowing that a first La Liga title since 2011-12 was one step closer to fruition.

Then, Lionel Messi reminded everyone of his genius with an emphatic late winner in Spain's marquee derby. For the first time since 2016, the two sides were joint-top.

With a run-in for the ages between the winners of 11 of the last 12 La Liga titles set to electrify the Spanish top flight, here's a glance at three realities both sides face ahead of Wednesday's fixtures:

Suspensions and injuries:

Real Madrid:

• FW Gareth Bale - The pacey Bale is set for a month on the sidelines with a calf injury sustained during Sunday's El Clasico.
• DF Raphael Varane - Varane hasn't played since a 3-0 win over Alaves on April 2, but the France international is now available for selection.
• DF Pepe - Tough-tackling Pepe continues to recover from broken ribs sustained in the Madrid derby. There is no timeline for his return.
• DF Sergio Ramos - Ramos was shown red for a two-footed tackle on Messi during El Clasico. Will miss the Deportivo match barring an appeal.

Barcelona:

• FW Neymar - Neymar has served two of three matches of his ban. he won't play Wednesday vs. Osasuna but is eligible for the Espanyol visit.
• MF Rafinha - Rafinha will miss the rest of the season with a meniscus tear in his right knee.
• DF Jeremy Mathieu - Mathieu missed the Madrid clash with an Achilles tendon issue. He's expected back for the Osasuna match.
• DF Aleix Vidal - Right-back Vidal will not play again this season after sustaining a dislocated right ankle in February.

Advantage: Barcelona. The absence of a pair of first-team Los Blancos centre-backs is worrisome.

Form:

While the run-in only concerns La Liga matches, when examining both form and remaining fixtures, it's daft not to consider the club's displays in other competitions.

Since a seven-day span in which Barcelona beat Sporting Gijon (6-1) and Celta Vigo (5-0) in the league, and trounced Paris Saint-Germain 6-1 with a historic comeback, the Catalan club has played nine matches. On the continent, Enrique's lot were blanked twice against Juventus, and in Spain, they suffered defeats to Malaga and Deportivo. Over that period, Barcelona scored 18 goals while conceding 14.

Real has also played nine times since bouncing Napoli from the Champions League, and the capital club's slate was arguably more challenging with the Madrid derby three days prior to a trip to Bavaria to face Bayern Munich. During that spell, Real lost just once (Barcelona), had one draw (Atletico Madrid), and won seven times, including the double over Bayern and victories at Athletic Bilbao and mid-table Alaves. During that spell, Real bagged 23 goals while conceding 13.

Advantage: Real Madrid. Barca's defeat at Malaga is a genuine concern.

Remaining fixtures:

Here's a look at Barcelona's five remaining league matches, with the Copa del Rey Final versus Basque minnow Alaves coming five days after the visit from Eibar:

Here's a look at Real Madrid's six remaining league matches, with Champions League clashes against Atletico Madrid bookending the trip to lowly Granada:

Advantage: Real Madrid. Despite the Champions League matches with rival Atletico, the game in hand on Barcelona is a massive variable.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)