The most highly-anticipated matchday of the La Liga season ended up being rather anti-climactic.
This was the matchday during which each of the four contenders would face off against a rival for the league title. Barcelona hosted Atlético Madrid while Real Madrid had a home match against Sevilla.
Barça and Atlético played first. Their match ended in a 0-0 draw, meaning that Atlético remained top of the league by two points heading into Real and Sevilla's match the next day. The result was a major missed opportunity for Barça, who had the chance to take the lead by winning.
The next day, Real took on Sevilla. Sevilla had to win to stay in contention for the title. They could not; Eden Hazard's stoppage-time equalizer ensured that it finished at 2-2. The result narrowed the league title contenders to just three after 35 of the 38 matchdays. Like Barça, Real trail Atlético by two points; however, Real are ahead of Barça due to a better head-to-head record.
As the current league leaders and with no remaining fixtures against fellow title contenders, some might assume that Atlético have the title all but sealed. However, this is far from the case. Over the past several months, Atlético's form has declined dramatically. Their once massive league lead has dwindled to just two. They were also comprehensively defeated in the Champions League's round of 16, losing 3-0 on aggregate to Chelsea.
Atlético will next have a massive encounter against Real Sociedad. This is arguably the toughest match remaining for any of the three title contenders. Win that and they'll be just about there - Atlético's last two matches will be against Osasuna and Valladolid; these matches are two likely victories.
Real's final stretch of matches is probably the most difficult among those of all three teams involved. Although they will be favoured to beat Granada, Villarreal, and Athletic Bilbao, all three are good enough to possibly cause an upset and derail Real's bid for back-to-back league titles.
In addition, the fact that Real made the deepest Champions League run among all three title hopefuls could end up working against them. Fatigue could play a role and perhaps cause them to drop much-needed points. This is especially crucial for Real, given the fact that they no longer control their own destiny.
Barça's final run-in is probably the easiest; they face Levante, Celta Vigo, and Eibar. The only slight question mark is Celta; nevertheless, it is a match which the Catalan club will be expected to win. If Atlético were to drop points, Barça would likely have a better chance than would Real to claim the league title, should one of them come from behind and do just that.
That being said, a shadow hangs over Camp Nou - one which may distract the team to such an extent that it derails their title bid. This shadow is, of course, the possible departure of Lionel Messi in the coming off-season. Almost a year ago, it seemed all but certain that Messi would leave the club at which he has become its most iconic figure and perhaps the greatest player of all time. As rumours continue to fly around, Barça will need to summon all their mental toughness to block them out and make one last push.
In any case, it is certainly refreshing to see a competitive title race in one of Europe's four major leagues. Inter Milan, Manchester City, and Bayern Munich all but clinched the Serie A, Premier League, and Bundesliga titles respectively weeks ago. What's more, the fact the La Liga title race includes three teams separated by just two points marks this season out as the most competitive since the 2013-14 season. That year, it was again the same three teams chasing the title. Atlético triumphed with 90 points; Barça and Real both finished on 87.
It may be somewhat of a cliché to say it, but it increasingly appears as though this season's La Liga champion will be "the team who wants it the most". A title race like this seldom comes around - it could very well be the intangibles that end up making the difference.
Get ready for three of the most dramatic matchdays you've ever seen.
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