According to the BBC, in the 97 years of La Liga history, the championship title has never been decided in a direct "El Clasico" match.
After Real Madrid's victory over Espanyol, a potentially embarrassing scenario for the Madrid team, who would have had to provide the 'guard of honor' for Barcelona if the Catalans were to enter the direct match already declared champions, has been avoided.
Barcelona currently lead the standings by 11 points over Real Madrid and are very close to securing the title. The BBC also reports that the Catalan team could break the record for the largest points difference in La Liga history, which is 15 points and dates back to the 2012–13 season.
If Barcelona win all their remaining games, they could reach 100 points in the season, equalling the record set by Real Madrid (2011–12) and Barcelona (2012–13). They would also set a new record for the most wins in a La Liga season, with 33 wins and just one draw so far.
On the other hand, Real Madrid risks ending the season without a trophy for the second time in the last decade, after the 2020–21 season.
The upcoming "El Clasico" remains a match of great importance, even though Barcelona is very close to being crowned champion of Spain.
