Barcelona are closing in on their eighth La Liga title in 11 years after Clement Lenglet and Jordi Alba both scored in a 2-1 win over Real Sociedad on Saturday.
Victory means Barca only have to beat Alaves on Tuesday and then Levante next Saturday to be crowned champions at Camp Nou, while three points against Alaves will be enough on its own if Atletico Madrid then lose to Valencia on Wednesday.
Whether in three days or seven, it is now surely only a matter of when rather than if Ernesto Valverde's side successfully defend their trophy, despite Atletico keeping the gap to nine points after they edged past Eibar earlier on Saturday.
"We have to get it out of our heads that we are nine points clear," Valverde said. "We now have three days until we play again and it will be difficult."
- Barcelona racing towards title -
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"In their case, they may be thinking about next season."