Barcelona: Luis Enrique predicts ‘three points that will push us closer’

'Tomorrow there is only one team that can be proclaimed champion, and that is us' says a confident Luis Enrique ahead of Barcelona's penultimate La Liga match.

Barcelona manager Luis Enrique shown going to training on Saturday ahead of his team's Sunday La Liga match. Alberto Estevez / EPA / May 7, 2016

The La Liga title race is reaching its climax with two rounds left and just one point separating the top three teams.

Leaders Barcelona are ahead of Atletico Madrid on goal difference, and both have a one-point advantage over Real Madrid.

All three teams play at the same time on Sunday.

Barcelona host crosstown rivals Espanyol, knowing that a win combined with an Atletico loss and a draw by Madrid would secure back-to-back titles for the Catalan club.

“We all play at five o’clock (7pm UAE) but the only game that I am interested in is our match,” Barcelona manager Luis Enrique said Saturday. “Tomorrow there is only one team that can be proclaimed champion, and that is us.”

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Atletico visit the already relegated Levante, while Madrid host Valencia.

Atletico and Madrid are also set to meet in the Champions League final on May 28.

With three straight wins by a combined score of 16-0, Barcelona have rebounded from a run of four matches without a victory that squandered a commanding lead.

“The three points that will push us closer to the title is our motivation,” Luis Enrique said.

Marc-Andre ter Stegen will play in Barcelona’s goal for the injured Claudio Bravo, while defender Jeremy Mathieu was cleared to play after injuring his right knee in March.

Atletico will again be without coach Diego Simeone as he serves the second of a three-game ban after a second ball was thrown from Atletico’s dugout to disrupt an attack by Malaga two rounds ago.

Atletico, who eliminated Bayern Munich from the Champions League semifinals on Tuesday, have ground out three consecutive 1-0 victories in La Liga.

Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane said he wanted his players to stay focused on the league title.

“We have two more games that are two finals for the league,” Zidane said. “While there are minutes remaining we have to believe in our chances, right down until the last second of the last game.”

Madrid will miss Gareth Bale because of a minor right-knee injury, but Zidane said that Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema would play against Valencia.

Both players have been hampered by right-leg injuries. Benzema missed this week's 1-0 win over Manchester City on Wednesday when Bale's goal sent Madrid into the final of the Champions League.

Madrid are on a 10-round winning streak that has catapulted them back into contention. They face a Valencia side who, despite wrapping up a disappointing season, stunned Barcelona with a win at Camp Nou last month.

The league’s last round will send Barcelona to Granada, while Atletico host Celta Vigo and Madrid are at Deportivo la Coruna.

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