Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona: Simeone's giant hurdle for the title

When Atletico Madrid was leading the La Liga Santander title race by 10 points in late January, nobody could predict that this Saturday's clash against FC Barcelona could determine this season's winner.

Atletico has suffered a dip in form since the start of the year, seeing their lead get whittled down to just two points. Last month, they even relinquished that top spot to both Barcelona and city rivals Real Madrid in what has been a game of musical chairs at the top of the table.

Atletico stands at the top step now mostly thanks to slip ups from both their rivals in recent weeks. They are lucky to still be ahead by two points, but Diego Simeone and his men are facing a huge hurdle this weekend as they face a massively rejuvenated Barcelona squad.

Atletico will travel to the Camp Nou knowing full well that if they lose, Barcelona will overtake them on the table. Not only that, Real Madrid can drop them down to third place if the defending champions overcome Sevilla.

At the moment, the leaders have a 76-point haul. Both Real Madrid and Barcelona have 74. If Barcelona wins, they skip ahead but perhaps only for one day. The Catalans may not sit on the top step for very long if Real also wins on Sunday. Los Blancos have the advantage on the other two even if they all end up level on points thanks to victories in El Clasico and the Madrid Derby.

The Argentine coach is no stranger to big games in the world's most famous stadiums. He has led his team to world-class victories at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, Stamford Bridge and San Siro. However, he has yet to enjoy victory at the Camp Nou over Barcelona in 13 attempts.

They will be facing a fired up Barcelona squad, who have breathed life into the second half of their campaign. The morale is high in the Barca dressing room, and they are determined to win the domestic double as part of their rebuilding strategy.

However, Simeone also has the advantage of knowing that his team defeated Barcelona when they first met at the Wanda Metropolitano earlier this season. Either way, this weekend can make or break the season for all three teams at the top of the table.