Real Madrid hosts Barcelona eyeing decisive blow in Spanish league title race

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Real Madrid faces one last stumbling block in its waltz toward the Spanish league title.

Barcelona, its chief rival, is coming to town on Sunday.

Madrid is eight points ahead of Barcelona going into the clasico, so anything other than a road win for the Catalan club would leave the Liga leader with a more-than-comfortable cushion with just six more games remaining.

“If we manage to win it, we’ll be within touching distance of La Liga title,” Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said on Saturday.

Madrid will play four days after it eliminated Manchester City on penalties to advance to the Champions League semifinals. Following that 120-minute extra-time game, Madrid’s Jude Bellingham said he was “dead on my feet” after his team hung on against City and forced a shootout.

But Ancelotti said his players, while needing some extra rest in the meantime, will be ready for “a hard-fought and evenly matched clasico.”

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