Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid at the Camp Nou on Saturday, May 17th, is quite simply the most important single league game played in Spanish football in decades. It is the establishment vs the upstarts, the ruling class v the rebels, prog-rock v punk in 1976, Diego Simeone v fate.
Here are facts you need to know about Saturday's game:
Saturday's matchup is only the third time in league history the title has been decided in circumstances such as these.
And both Atletico and Barcelona were involved then too.
Atletico edged Sevilla in a final round decider to close the 1950/51 season - five years after Sevilla emerged triumphant against Barcelona in a similar showdown.
"We can't look to the past, we need to focus on the present," Atletico captain Gabi Fernandez said. "We have a historic opportunity to win the league and the Champions League also."
Atletico, which plays Real Madrid in the Champions League final on May 24, hasn't competed for the title since its league-cup double triumph in 1995/96.
Both clubs have faltered in recent weeks, with Gerardo Martino's men dropping points in each of their last two matches, conceding a last-minute equaliser in a 2-2 draw at home to Getafe before being held 0-0 at Elche last time out.
That stalemate opened the door for Atletico to clinch their first crown since 1996, but they too were left frustrated, drawing 1-1 with Malaga last time out after they had lost 2-0 at Levante one week earlier. Those results set up what promises to be a tense finale on Saturday, with Diego Simeone's men knowing a win or a draw will see them end their 18-year wait for a 10th Liga title.
The Argentinian, a key part of the Atletico squad to lift the trophy back in 1996, has presided over an outstanding campaign, guiding the club to both the summit of La Liga and a UEFA Champions League final date with bitter rivals Real Madrid on May 24.
His opposite number Martino, however, has come under fire with Barca's hopes of a treble dashed in the space of eight days last month. Atletico contributed to part of that disappointment, with their 1-0 in the Champions League quarter-final second-leg victory sealing a 2-1 aggregate success. Barca's misery was then compounded by a 2-1 reverse to Real in the Copa del Rey final a week later.
Sandwiched between those two losses was a 1-0 reverse at the hands of Granada, a result that seemingly left their league hopes in tatters. However, a
17th home Liga win of the season would see Barca lift their fifth title in the last six campaigns.
Atletico defender Miranda, meanwhile, does not believe his side have missed their chance to claim glory by taking just one point from their last two matches, but insists they have to be wary of a dangerous Barca outfit.
"It has been a long season and at the beginning nobody believed that we would be in the fight for the league. We have to play well and look for victory," he said.
"They are a difficult team to play on the counter against because they're so good. They're a strong team, but we will try to play well and win."
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