MADRID, April 20 (Xinhua) -- Whether the last six weeks of the season will see tension in the race for the La Liga title, or become a long Real Madrid victory parade, depends on the result of the 'Clasico' between Madrid and FC Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday night.
Real Madrid have already beaten Barcelona twice this season and go into the game with an eight-point lead over their rivals at the top of the table. That means three more points for Carlo Ancelotti's side would extend their lead to 11 points, with just 18 left to play for.
Even a Barcelona win would see Real Madrid remain five points clear, but would give some spice to the forthcoming rounds of games - especially as Madrid have a Champions League semifinal against Bayern Munich to consider.
Europe is a big factor in Sunday's match, with Madrid going into the game with their morale sky-high after beating Manchester City on penalties on Wednesday, with the positive effect of a triumph in a game where they were under the cosh for 120 minutes.
Vinicius Jr looks to have recovered after going off on Wednesday with an apparent groin strain, while Dani Carvajal is the only doubt, with a hamstring problem collected during his efforts in the Etihad Stadium.
Things are rather different in Barcelona, where Xavi Hernandez's men suffered a painful 4-1 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain to go out of the Champions League 6-4 on aggregate.
That defeat hasn't only dented Barca's pride, but the fallout from the loss has opened apparent cracks in the dressing room, with Ilkay Gundogan publicly criticizing errors, such as Ronald Araujo's 28th-minute red card and Joao Cancelo's rash challenge that allowed PSG to take the lead from the penalty spot.
Jules Kounde and Araujo both responded to Gundogan's comments, and Xavi decided to give the squad Thursday off to help calm things down. Although Gundogan made some conciliatory remarks on Friday, there is a suspicion that all is not well with a squad that knows Xavi is set to leave at the end of the season.
On the sporting side, Lamine Yamal and an in-form Raphinha will partner Robert Lewandowski in attack, while Gundogan is likely to be alongside Frenkie de Jong and Pedri in midfield.
Carvajal is the only doubt for Real Madrid, with Lucas Vazquez stepping in if he doesn't recover, as the fans in the Bernabeu look to round off a good week the best way possible. ■
