Barcelona boss Gerardo Martino has admitted that his side need to beat Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday if they are to have any chance of retaining their La Liga title.
Three defeats in their last seven La Liga games have left the Catalans four points behind leaders Madrid with just 10 games remaining.
And with Real having not lost in any competition since the sides last met in October, Martino knows Barca have a unique opportunity to get themselves back into the title race.
“I think it is probably the last chance we will have because after this game there are only nine games left and it is not the same thing to come back from one point behind to four or seven,” he said on Saturday.
“Teams at this point of the season, particularly those ones fighting for the league, don’t make that many slip ups.
Barca’s away form has been the principal reason that they have ceded an early season advantage over Madrid as they have won just one of five league games on the road in 2014, including defeats at Real Sociedad and Valladolid.
However, Martino’s men did manage a 2-0 win away to Manchester City last month which guided them into the quarter- finals of the Champions League and he is looking for a repeat of that performance at the Bernabeu.
“It is true that there have been games away from home where we have not played well, but there have also been some important ones where we have.
