Just 180 minutes separate Real Madrid from claiming a La Liga title that they’ve not had their hands on since 2012, Jose Mourinho’s second, record-breaking season.

Fast forward five years and we are into Zinedine Zidane’s second campaign on the bench, and one that happens to be another record breaker.

Though both Real and Barcelona have 87 points, it’s Luis Enrique’s team that lead the standings, as it’s the head-to-head rule that applies in Spain [though Barca are also comfortably ahead were goal difference the decider].

Los Blancos, however, play their game in hand against Celta Vigo on Wednesday night looking to put daylight between themselves and the Catalans.

The match was scheduled for earlier in the season but was postponed because of damage to the Estadio Balaidos roof, a decision that infuriated Madrid at the time. In hindsight, it may have been the best thing to have happened to them.

Celta were in much better form back in February, having lost just once in the previous 10 games, and arguably playing Real at that point would’ve suited the hosts too.

Now, with little to play for other than pride and a few extra euros depending on their final league position, the Galician’s season has petered out completely with no wins in the last eight games.

With everyone in Catalonia pinning their hopes on an upset to hand Barca the advantage going into the final league game of the season (Real go to Malaga, Barcelona host Eibar), there isn’t an opponent Zidane and his players would rather face because, aside from Granada under Tony Adams, there isn’t a worse performing team in the division.

The way in which Real have gone about their business in every game of the run-in — even the defeat to Barca — suggests that they are well up for the fight and will be relentless in their pursuit of glory.

To expect anything other than a rampant Los Blancos performance with a result to boot in Vigo is folly, and so we move onto the final day where things get a little bit more interesting.

Malaga have found a rich vein of form, which has seen them win six of their last eight games, including victories against Barcelona and Sevilla at La Rosaleda.

Four consecutive wins at home have yielded 11 goals with just two conceded, and in three of those four Los Boquerones kept a clean sheet.

However, they’ve only managed one win in the last 14 years against Real, and that came five years ago. Furthermore, and here’s where the conspiracy theorists will have a field day, their manager Michel is a former Real Madrid player.

He’s been careful to distance himself from the idea of ‘rolling over,’ but has also been quoted as being a ‘confirmed Madridista.’

Make up your own minds what that’s supposed to mean…