Madrid will be able to watch Barcelona's match against Atletico Madrid
with a smile on their face, knowing that whatever the result, they'll
have enhanced their lead over at least one of their title rivals.
A defeat for Barca could see them theoretically slip as many as six
points behind Madrid, while a draw could potentially allow Zinedine
Zidane's men a five-point cushion over Luis Enrique's side. If
Atletico are the damned at Camp Nou this week, though, they may find
themselves seven points behind their city rivals come Thursday
morning.
There will only have been five games played -- and 33 still to play --
but it would represent a significant amount of breathing space for a
Madrid side who are desperate to win the league having seen both Barca
and Atletico get their hands on the trophy since their last triumph in
2012.
And so the stage is set for the first heavyweight battle of the new La
Liga campaign, not that Barca's clashes with Atletico have needed much
hyping or stage setting in recent years.
It's the Catalan side who have won seven of the 14 meetings spread
over the last three seasons, but that doesn't tell the whole story.
Atletico knocked Barca out of the Champions League in 2014 and then
went on to win the league title at Camp Nou with a draw on the final
day of the season. A win for the Blaugrana would have earned them the
crown.