Barcelona are poised to retain the Spanish league title after a dramatic 3-2 win away to fourth-placed Sevilla on Saturday.
With just one match remaining, Barca are one point ahead of second-placed Real Madrid, who thrashed ten-man Athletic Bilbao 5-1 after a nervous first-half.
Both twin giants have amassed a record number of points this season: Barca now have 96 points from 37 games, Real have 95.
This means that Barca will be champions if they beat lowly Valladolid at home next Saturday.
Barca seemed to be cruising in Seville. With just 21 minutes left they were 3-0 thanks to goals from youngsters Lionel Messi, Bojan and Pedro.
But Sevilla came back strongly, despite the sending-off of right back Abdoulay Konko, and set up a nervous finale with goals from Frederic Kanoute and Luis Fabiano.
Sevilla came close to snatching a draw at the end, which would have put Real top and just needing a last-day win in Malaga to be champions.
League top scorer Messi shot Barca ahead after just six minutes with a left-foot drive, after taking a perfect pass from Maxwell on his chest and skipping around defender Julien Escude.
Bojan — playing instead of the out-of-form Zlatan Ibrahimovic — made it 2-0 on the half hour after being played through by the majestic Xavi.
Konko was then sent off and Pedro seemed to have settled the issue by making it 3-0 with a powerful drive from just outside the penalty area.
But in the 79th minute Kanoute pulled a goal back for Sevilla after holding off defender Carles Puyol. And just three minutes later Luis Fabiano made it 3-0 after a quick free-kick from Didier Zokora.
Kanoute was denied a possible penalty in a frenetic finale, with Barca nervously controlling possession and waiting for the clock to run down.
In Madrid, meanwhile, Real were struggling to overcome a Bilbao side that played with 10 men for 70 minutes.
Real needed desperately to win to avoid Barca becoming champions by winning in Seville.
In the 21st minute they were given a penalty for handball by Bilbao defender Fernando Amorenieta, who was harshly sent off.
Cristiano Ronaldo calmly converted the spot-kick to make it 1-0.
Four minutes before half-time, however, Fran Yeste levelled for the visitors with a clever finish — and the battle for the Liga title seemed decided in Barca’s favour.
Real did not restore their lead until 12 minutes to go, through Gonzalo Hguain. The floodgates then opened, with goals from Sergio Ramos, Karim Benzema and Marcelo.
But the goal that the “madridista” fans really wanted to hear about — Sevilla’s third against Barcelona — did not happen, and so the fans left the Estadio Bernabeu in poor heart due to the likelihood of Barca winning La Liga by beating Valladolid.
