La Liga leaders Barcelona welcome Atletico Madrid to Camp Nou on Sunday needing to climb out of a rut and take a significant step towards clinching the title.

With an 11-point advantage on second-placed Real Madrid, Barcelona have one hand on the trophy, but have lost some ground with two consecutive 0-0 draws against Girona and Getafe.

Xavi’s side are crawling towards the line rather than sprinting over it, with the team’s morale taking a big hit when Madrid knocked them out of the Copa del Rey with a 4-0 thrashing at Camp Nou earlier in April.

Matters off the pitch have taken the focus, with president Joan Laporta giving a news conference to clarify the club’s denial of any wrongdoings in the “Negreira case” referee scandal and a potential return for Lionel Messi from Paris Saint-Germain gaining momentum.

Laporta has also said he wants to renew Xavi’s contract, but the coach wants his team to finish the job by winning La Liga before he entertains talks over a new deal or discusses summer signings. 

Read the full story on sportsdesk.com.mt...

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