Tito Vilanova’s side wrapped up their fourth league crown in five years last weekend, but still have the chance to equal the mark set by Jose Mourinho’s victorious side last season.

A 21st-minute strike from Pedro and an own-goal from Valladolid’s Marc Valiente before halftime sealed a drab victory in unseasonably chilly and wet conditions in a two-thirds full stadium.

Valladolid pulled one back from the penalty spot through Victor Perez at the end.

Barca climbed on to 94 points with two games left to play, away to city rivals Espanyol next weekend and at home to Malaga on June 1st.

“We are pleased with the win. We are playing with the motivation of trying to reach 100 points which would be something important,” Pedro told Spanish broadcaster Canal Plus.

Goalkeeper Victor Valdes, who has said he wants to leave the Nou Camp, was back in the side after a foot injury and made his 500th official appearance for the club.

The Spain international is the fourth Barca player to reach the mark behind record holder Xavi, who has made 675 appearances, Carles Puyol and Migueli, and he had a quiet evening against a mid-table side with nothing left to play for.

Xavi intercepted a pass and fed Pedro who scored with a shot that went underneath a slow-to-react Jaime Jimenez and Valiente gave Barca a helping hand for the second as he lifted Xavi’s corner into his own goal off his thigh.

Barca were utterly dominant until Martin Montoya brought down Manucho for a penalty in the 89th minute and Perez sent Valdes the wrong way from the spot.

TITO AND ABI

Captain Puyol collected the La Liga tophy on the pitch after the game, but gave it to France defender Eric Abidal and Vilanova to jointly lift and present to the fans, while they were showered with red and blue pieces of paper.

“It’s been a hard year. We’ve won La Liga but the most important thing is that Tito and Abi are with us,” Puyol told fans speaking through a microphone on the pitch.

Vilanova and Abidal have both been fighting battles against cancer over the last year.

Rayo Vallecano stayed in the hunt for a Europa League place with a 3-2 win at Levante that put them eighth with 49 points.

Captain Piti scored twice, his second from the penalty spot, to take his tally for the season to 17.

At the foot of the standings, Deportivo Coruna boosted their hopes of avoiding relegation with a 2-0 win at home to Espanyol that dragged them out of the bottom three into 17th.

A fizzing long-range shot from Bruno Gama flew in off the far post after 50 minutes, and his Portuguese compatriot Nelson Oliveira lobbed a second on a breakaway at the end.

Deportivo climbed on to 35 points with two games left to play, one ahead of Real Zaragoza, who dropped down to 18th, after a 2-1 defeat at home to Athletic Bilbao.

Portugal striker Helder Postiga had given Zaragoza an early lead with a looping header, but after spurning a host of chances they conceded twice in the last 10 minutes.

Fernando Llorente scrambled an equaliser and in added time Ibai Gomez netted with a clever backheel finish.

Zaragoza slipped into the danger zone with 34 points and Celta Vigo are 19th with 31.

Basement side Real Mallorca, with 29 points, play their game in hand at Real Betis on Monday, and need at least a draw to avoid the drop as they have an inferior head-to-head record with Deportivo. (Reporting by Mark Elkington, editing by Toby Davis)

Tito Vilanova’s side wrapped up their fourth league crown in five years last weekend, but still have the chance to equal the mark set by Jose Mourinho’s victorious side last season.

A 21st-minute strike from Pedro and an own-goal from Valladolid’s Marc Valiente before halftime sealed a drab victory in unseasonably chilly and wet conditions in a two-thirds full stadium.

Valladolid pulled one back from the penalty spot through Victor Perez at the end.

Barca climbed on to 94 points with two games left to play, away to city rivals Espanyol next weekend and at home to Malaga on June 1st.

“We are pleased with the win. We are playing with the motivation of trying to reach 100 points which would be something important,” Pedro told Spanish broadcaster Canal Plus.

Goalkeeper Victor Valdes, who has said he wants to leave the Nou Camp, was back in the side after a foot injury and made his 500th official appearance for the club.

The Spain international is the fourth Barca player to reach the mark behind record holder Xavi, who has made 675 appearances, Carles Puyol and Migueli, and he had a quiet evening against a mid-table side with nothing left to play for.

Xavi intercepted a pass and fed Pedro who scored with a shot that went underneath a slow-to-react Jaime Jimenez and Valiente gave Barca a helping hand for the second as he lifted Xavi’s corner into his own goal off his thigh.

Barca were utterly dominant until Martin Montoya brought down Manucho for a penalty in the 89th minute and Perez sent Valdes the wrong way from the spot.

TITO AND ABI

Captain Puyol collected the La Liga tophy on the pitch after the game, but gave it to France defender Eric Abidal and Vilanova to jointly lift and present to the fans, while they were showered with red and blue pieces of paper.

“It’s been a hard year. We’ve won La Liga but the most important thing is that Tito and Abi are with us,” Puyol told fans speaking through a microphone on the pitch.

Vilanova and Abidal have both been fighting battles against cancer over the last year.

Rayo Vallecano stayed in the hunt for a Europa League place with a 3-2 win at Levante that put them eighth with 49 points.

Captain Piti scored twice, his second from the penalty spot, to take his tally for the season to 17.

At the foot of the standings, Deportivo Coruna boosted their hopes of avoiding relegation with a 2-0 win at home to Espanyol that dragged them out of the bottom three into 17th.

A fizzing long-range shot from Bruno Gama flew in off the far post after 50 minutes, and his Portuguese compatriot Nelson Oliveira lobbed a second on a breakaway at the end.

Deportivo climbed on to 35 points with two games left to play, one ahead of Real Zaragoza, who dropped down to 18th, after a 2-1 defeat at home to Athletic Bilbao.

Portugal striker Helder Postiga had given Zaragoza an early lead with a looping header, but after spurning a host of chances they conceded twice in the last 10 minutes.

Fernando Llorente scrambled an equaliser and in added time Ibai Gomez netted with a clever backheel finish.

Zaragoza slipped into the danger zone with 34 points and Celta Vigo are 19th with 31.

Basement side Real Mallorca, with 29 points, play their game in hand at Real Betis on Monday, and need at least a draw to avoid the drop as they have an inferior head-to-head record with Deportivo. (Reporting by Mark Elkington, editing by Toby Davis)

Surprise contenders Sociedad are edging the contest at present due to a superior head-to-head record over Valencia, with the two tied on 59 points in fourth and fifth respectively, and with three games left to play.

Champions Barcelona, second-placed Real Madrid and third-placed Atletico Madrid have already made sure of their automatic qualification to Europe’s premier club competition, and one play-off place remains to be decided.

Valencia visit Europa League-chasing Getafe, ninth, on Saturday (1600 GMT) and Sociedad travel to play another Europa League hopeful, eighth-placed Sevilla, four hours later.

Sociedad’s impressive 15-match unbeaten run ended in a 2-1 defeat at Getafe a week ago, and Monday’s 2-2 home draw against relegation-threatened Granada suggests the pressure might be starting to tell on a team more used to fending off relegation.

The side from San Sebastian have played some of the league’s most entertaining football this season, with a team comprised mainly of home-grown talent and directed by French coach Philippe Montanier.

“It would be a dream come true for me and for everyone else (to reach the Champions League), it’s very difficult for a club like Real Sociedad to achieve,” midfielder Markel Bergara told a news conference.

“It’s in our own hands and we’ll fight to the very end to achieve it.”

FRENCH RETURN

Montanier’s two-year contract is up at the end of the season and negotiations for an extension are on hold, with media speculation linking the Frenchman with a return home to coach Rennes.

“Montanier knows La Real want him to continue, but the club isn’t finished without him or anyone else,” Sociedad president Jokin Aperribay said last week, denying the decision was linked to whether the club qualified for the Champions League.

“It depends only on his and our willingness.”

Consecutive 4-0 wins have put Valencia back in the running for a Champions League return under the stewardship of Ernesto Valverde, who was brought in to replace Mauricio Pellegrino in December, with a contract to the end of the season.

Valverde has won over the dressing room and fans in a short space of time, but institutional instability at the heavily-indebted club and the resignation of president Manuel Llorente last month has made long-term planning difficult.

The club are due to appoint a new president on June 4.

“It would be disruptive to suffer another change on the bench. The squad is very pleased with Ernesto,” leading scorer with 21 goals Roberto Soldado said.

“The results are there. We have improved a lot.”

Bottom club Real Mallorca are five points from safety and have to beat visiting Real Betis on Monday (2000) to have any chance of avoiding relegation. (Editing by John O’Brien)

Since starting out in his first full season as a coach with Porto in the 2002/3 campaign, through spells with Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real, the Portuguese has amassed two Champions League trophies, a UEFA Cup, seven league titles and six national cups.

In what looks increasingly likely to be his last campaign with Real, however, the self-styled ‘Special One’ could be about to end his three-year reign in Spain with a less than impressive record.

He joined the world’s richest club by revenue from Inter in 2010, having led the Italians to an historic treble, culminating in their first European Cup victory in 45 years.

Mourinho’s Real won the King’s Cup by beating Barca 1-0 after extra time in 2011 and a record-breaking La Liga title in 2012 but a third successive Champions League semi-final exit and Barca’s league triumph last weekend have left his third year looking pretty thin.

A Spanish Super Cup victory over Barca back in September is his only silverware to date this season, which he himself dismissed as irrelevant, leaving the much-maligned King’s Cup as his last chance to sign off with a flourish.

However, a cup triumph would only paper over the cracks of a disintegrating campaign, with dressing-room divisions coming to the fore since the club’s defeat to Borussia Dortmund two weeks ago.

Mourinho’s public belittling of popular captain and goalkeeper Iker Casillas and defender Pepe, and his declarations of love towards English football have turned many dyed-in-the-wool Real fans against him.

The looked-down-upon King’s Cup was not the title he was brought in to win for them; they wanted a tenth European Cup.

On the pitch, Mourinho’s main concern is with the defence where Raphael Varane is out injured, but Sergio Ramos and Marcelo look set to be available again after recovering from their respective problems.

Despite their off-field problems, Real head into the final as the overwhelming favourites as they have not lost a Madrid derby with Atletico since 1999.

DERBY MISERY

Diego Simeone’s Atletico have little to lose, having achieved their objective for the season with a third-placed finish in La Liga assuring them of Champions League football again after a three-year absence.

Recent history dictates against Atletico ending their 14-year derby misery.

Only last month a second-string Real side, distracted in the middle of their Champions League semi-final with Dortmund and without Cristiano Ronaldo, still managed to win 2-1 at the Calderon.

“We aren’t looking backwards,” Atletico’s Uruguayan defender Diego Godin told reporters.

“Obviously the statistics of how many times they have beaten us are there…but we are in a good run of form and have the same desire and chances to win as they do.”

Atletico have a good record in finals over the last few years, winning the Europa League and the European Super Cup in 2010 and 2012, beating Fulham, Inter Milan, Athletic Bilbao and Chelsea, though they lost the 2010 King’s Cup final 2-0 to Sevilla.

Argentine Simeone, who helped Atletico to win their last Cup as a player in 1996, has a full squad to choose from and in Brazilian striker Diego Costa has the tournament’s leading scorer with seven goals.

Playing at the home of their neighbours has not proved to be a problem for Atletico in the past. Eight of their nine Cup triumphs have come in the Bernabeu, three of which were against Real Madrid, in 1960, 1961 and 1992.

(Editing by Clare Fallon)

Since starting out in his first full season as a coach with Porto in the 2002/3 campaign, through spells with Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real, the Portuguese has amassed two Champions League trophies, a UEFA Cup, seven league titles and six national cups.

In what looks increasingly likely to be his last campaign with Real, however, the self-styled ‘Special One’ could be about to end his three-year reign in Spain with a less than impressive record.

He joined the world’s richest club by revenue from Inter in 2010, having led the Italians to an historic treble, culminating in their first European Cup victory in 45 years.

Mourinho’s Real won the King’s Cup by beating Barca 1-0 after extra time in 2011 and a record-breaking La Liga title in 2012 but a third successive Champions League semi-final exit and Barca’s league triumph last weekend have left his third year looking pretty thin.

A Spanish Super Cup victory over Barca back in September is his only silverware to date this season, which he himself dismissed as irrelevant, leaving the much-maligned King’s Cup as his last chance to sign off with a flourish.

However, a cup triumph would only paper over the cracks of a disintegrating campaign, with dressing-room divisions coming to the fore since the club’s defeat to Borussia Dortmund two weeks ago.

Mourinho’s public belittling of popular captain and goalkeeper Iker Casillas and defender Pepe, and his declarations of love towards English football have turned many dyed-in-the-wool Real fans against him.

The looked-down-upon King’s Cup was not the title he was brought in to win for them; they wanted a tenth European Cup.

On the pitch, Mourinho’s main concern is with the defence where Raphael Varane is out injured, but Sergio Ramos and Marcelo look set to be available again after recovering from their respective problems.

Despite their off-field problems, Real head into the final as the overwhelming favourites as they have not lost a Madrid derby with Atletico since 1999.

DERBY MISERY

Diego Simeone’s Atletico have little to lose, having achieved their objective for the season with a third-placed finish in La Liga assuring them of Champions League football again after a three-year absence.

Recent history dictates against Atletico ending their 14-year derby misery.

Only last month a second-string Real side, distracted in the middle of their Champions League semi-final with Dortmund and without Cristiano Ronaldo, still managed to win 2-1 at the Calderon.

“We aren’t looking backwards,” Atletico’s Uruguayan defender Diego Godin told reporters.

“Obviously the statistics of how many times they have beaten us are there…but we are in a good run of form and have the same desire and chances to win as they do.”

Atletico have a good record in finals over the last few years, winning the Europa League and the European Super Cup in 2010 and 2012, beating Fulham, Inter Milan, Athletic Bilbao and Chelsea, though they lost the 2010 King’s Cup final 2-0 to Sevilla.

Argentine Simeone, who helped Atletico to win their last Cup as a player in 1996, has a full squad to choose from and in Brazilian striker Diego Costa has the tournament’s leading scorer with seven goals.

Playing at the home of their neighbours has not proved to be a problem for Atletico in the past. Eight of their nine Cup triumphs have come in the Bernabeu, three of which were against Real Madrid, in 1960, 1961 and 1992. (Editing by Clare Fallon)

Radamel Falcao had threatened to spoil Barca’s title party when he struck in the 51st minute, but Alexis Sanchez levelled in the 72nd before David Villa’s miscued shot was diverted into his own net by Gabi eight minutes later.

Barca had to play with 10 men for the last 20 minutes after Lionel Messi was forced to leave the pitch with a recurrence of his hamstring injury after coach Tito Vilanova had already made his three substitutions.

The Catalans, left with an unassailable lead in the standings on Saturday when second-placed Real Madrid drew 1-1 at Espanyol, moved 10 points clear at the top on 91.

With three games left, Barca have a chance to match Real’s record 100 points tally for a season from last year. Jose Mourinho’s side have 81 points but with two matches to play.

“I would like people to value this title for the work done by everyone, and not for the health problems,” Vilanova told a news conference referring to his battle against throat cancer and attempts to label their success ‘Tito’s title’.

“This isn’t Tito’s title, it is for all the players. They deserve a lot of credit because it is difficult to win when the coach is absent for two months (receiving treatment).

“I didn’t watch Real’s game last night. I looked at the internet and saw it was 1-1 and went to bed because I was thinking about today’s game.”

GUARD OF HONOUR

Atletico gave Barca a guard of honour as they entered a festive Calderon stadium, with both teams having achieved their main objectives – the league title and automatic Champions League qualification for a third-placed finish respectively.

The hosts had one eye on Friday’s King’s Cup final against Real but still fielded a near full-strength side, and just after the restart caught the visitors on a counter-attack when Colombia striker Falcao scored his 28th goal of the season.

Alexis levelled for Barca, after exchanging passes with Cesc Fabregas, as he raced into the area and wrong-footed goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

With 10 minutes to go, Gabi was unable to get out of the way of a scuffed Villa shot that was going wide, and the ball went in off his thigh.

Earlier, Roberto Soldado scored twice to keep Valencia in the running for a return to the Champions League next season with a 4-0 victory at Rayo Vallecano.

The Spain striker netted a penalty after 28 minutes and doubled the lead with a simple tap in from Andres Guardado’s pass in the 34th, taking his season’s league tally to 21.

Mexico midfielder Guardado netted midway through the second half, and Paraguayan substitute Nelson Haedo Valdez lashed a fourth high into the net on a counter-attack.

Valencia were knocked out of Europe’s elite club competition at the last 16 stage in March but their hunger for a return far outweighed 10th-placed Rayo’s fading hopes of qualifying for the Europa League.

They climbed to fourth on 59 points, and edged ahead in the race for Spain’s place in the playoffs for next season’s Champions League group stage.

Real Sociedad slipped to fifth with 58 points before playing their game in hand at home to struggling Granada on Monday.

In the battle for Europa League places Malaga drew 0-0 at home to Andalusian rivals Sevilla to stay sixth with 54 points.

Afterwards Malaga coach Manuel Pellegrini, who has been linked in the media with a possible move to Manchester City, said he had not spoken to anyone about his future.

“There are a lot of rumours,” the Chilean told a news conference.

“The coaching staff and players are focusing on qualifying the team for the Europa League. I hope in the next 15 days planning will take place for what is going to happen next year and we’ll see what happens.”

Real Betis were two points back in seventh after a 1-0 win at home to relegation-threatened Celta Vigo, thanks to a Ruben Castro volley, and Sevilla were eighth with 47 points.

Teams finishing fifth to seventh in La Liga will qualify for the Europa League with Cup finalists Real and Atletico already qualified for the Champions League .

(Reporting by Mark Elkington, editing by Pritha Sarkar, Ken Ferris and John Mehaffey)

Radamel Falcao had threatened to spoil Barca’s title party when he struck in the 51st minute, but Alexis Sanchez levelled in the 72nd before David Villa’s miscued shot was diverted into his own net by Gabi eight minutes later.

Barca had to play with 10 men for the last 20 minutes after Lionel Messi was forced to leave the pitch with a possible recurrence of his hamstring injury after manager Tito Vilanova had already made his three substitutions.

The Catalans, left with an unassailable lead at the top of the standings on Saturday when second-placed Real Madrid drew 1-1 at Espanyol, moved 10 points clear at the top on 91.

With three games left, Barca have a chance to match Real’s record 100 points tally for a season from last year. Jose Mourinho’s side have 81 points but with two matches to play.

Atletico gave Barca a guard of honour as they entered a festive Calderon stadium, with both teams having achieved their main objectives – the league title and automatic Champions League qualification respectively.

The hosts had one eye on Friday’s King’s Cup final against Real at the Bernabeu but still fielded a near full-strength side, though there were few chances of note in the first half.

Just after the restart Atletico caught the visitors on the counter-attack and despite being on the ground Gabi managed to knock the ball into the path of Falcao who scored.

It was the Colombia striker’s 28th goal of the season.

Alexis levelled for Barca, after exchanging passes with Cesc Fabregas, as he raced into the area and wrong-footed goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

With 10 minutes to go, Gabi was unable to get out of the way a scuffed David Villa shot that was going wide, and the ball went in off his thigh.

SOLDADO DOUBLE

Earlier, Roberto Soldado scored twice to keep Valencia in the running for a return to the Champions League next season with a 4-0 victory at Rayo Vallecano.

The Spain striker netted a penalty after 28 minutes and doubled the lead with a simple tap in from Andres Guardado’s pass in the 34th, taking his season’s league tally to 21.

Mexico midfielder Guardado netted midway through the second half, and Paraguayan substitute Nelson Haedo Valdez lashed a fourth high into the net on a counter-attack.

Valencia were knocked out of Europe’s elite club competition by Paris St Germain at the last 16 stage in March but their hunger for a return far outweighed 10th-placed Rayo’s fading hopes of qualifying for the Europa League.

Valencia climbed to fourth on 59 points, and edged ahead in the race for Spain’s place in the playoffs for next season’s Champions League group stage.

Real Sociedad slipped to fifth with 58 points before playing their game in hand at home to struggling Granada on Monday.

In the battle for Europa League places Malaga, who host Sevilla later on Sunday, are sixth with 52 points, one point and one place ahead of Real Betis, who beat relegation-threatened Celta Vigo 1-0.

Teams finishing fifth to seventh in La Liga qualify for the Europa League.

Betis had two efforts ruled offside in the opening 10 minutes and had to wait until the 67th before Ruben Castro volleyed the winner, the striker benefiting from a slip by his marker to fire home.

Celta thought they had equalised near the end but the effort was given offside, although replays showed it should have stood, and the 19th-placed Galicians stay deep in the drop zone on 31 points, three short of Real Zaragoza in the last safe spot.

(Reporting by Mark Elkington, editing by Pritha Sarkar and Ken Ferris)

Radamel Falcao had threatened to spoil Barca’s title party when he struck in the 51st minute, but Alexis Sanchez levelled in the 72nd before David Villa’s miscued shot was diverted into his own net by Gabi eight minutes later.

Barca had to play with 10 men for the last 20 minutes after Lionel Messi was forced to leave the pitch with a possible recurrence of his hamstring injury after manager Tito Vilanova had already made his three substitutions.

The Catalans, left with an unassailable lead at the top of the standings on Saturday when second-placed Real Madrid drew 1-1 at Espanyol, moved 10 points clear at the top on 91.

With three games left, Barca have a chance to match Real’s record 100 points tally for a season from last year. Jose Mourinho’s side have 81 points but with two matches to play.

Atletico gave Barca a guard of honour as they entered a festive Calderon stadium, with both teams having achieved their main objectives – the league title and automatic Champions League qualification respectively.

The hosts had one eye on Friday’s King’s Cup final against Real at the Bernabeu but still fielded a near full-strength side, though there were few chances of note in the first half.

Just after the restart Atletico caught the visitors on the counter-attack and despite being on the ground Gabi managed to knock the ball into the path of Falcao who scored.

It was the Colombia striker’s 28th goal of the season.

Alexis levelled for Barca, after exchanging passes with Cesc Fabregas, as he raced into the area and wrong-footed goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

With 10 minutes to go, Gabi was unable to get out of the way a scuffed David Villa shot that was going wide, and the ball went in off his thigh.

SOLDADO DOUBLE

Earlier, Roberto Soldado scored twice to keep Valencia in the running for a return to the Champions League next season with a 4-0 victory at Rayo Vallecano.

The Spain striker netted a penalty after 28 minutes and doubled the lead with a simple tap in from Andres Guardado’s pass in the 34th, taking his season’s league tally to 21.

Mexico midfielder Guardado netted midway through the second half, and Paraguayan substitute Nelson Haedo Valdez lashed a fourth high into the net on a counter-attack.

Valencia were knocked out of Europe’s elite club competition by Paris St Germain at the last 16 stage in March but their hunger for a return far outweighed 10th-placed Rayo’s fading hopes of qualifying for the Europa League.

Valencia climbed to fourth on 59 points, and edged ahead in the race for Spain’s place in the playoffs for next season’s Champions League group stage.

Real Sociedad slipped to fifth with 58 points before playing their game in hand at home to struggling Granada on Monday.

In the battle for Europa League places Malaga, who host Sevilla later on Sunday, are sixth with 52 points, one point and one place ahead of Real Betis, who beat relegation-threatened Celta Vigo 1-0.

Teams finishing fifth to seventh in La Liga qualify for the Europa League.

Betis had two efforts ruled offside in the opening 10 minutes and had to wait until the 67th before Ruben Castro volleyed the winner, the striker benefiting from a slip by his marker to fire home.

Celta thought they had equalised near the end but the effort was given offside, although replays showed it should have stood, and the 19th-placed Galicians stay deep in the drop zone on 31 points, three short of Real Zaragoza in the last safe spot. (Reporting by Mark Elkington, editing by Pritha Sarkar and Ken Ferris)

Barca, who play at third-placed Atletico Madrid later on Sunday, have an unassailable lead in the table as Jose Mourinho’s team trail them by seven points with only two games left to play.

“There’ll only be a few changes,” Barcelona vice-president Josep Bartomeu told Barca TV. “It’s a very competitive team and it’s very difficult to substitute the pieces.”

“(Spain goalkeeper) Victor Valdes has told us he doesn’t want to continue, so we will try to find a replacement this summer. Also a central defender and a forward.”

Coach Tito Vilanova’s team made a record-breaking start notching 55 of a possible 57 points in the first half of the season, but have faltered in the knockout competitions over the last couple of months as injuries and fatigue took their toll.

Defeats to Real in the King’s Cup semi-finals and a thrashing at the hands of Bayern Munich in the last four of the Champions League had many predicting the end of Barcelona’s recent glittering run of successes.

A string of injury problems for 35-year-old captain Carles Puyol, and Eric Abidal’s long recovery from a liver transplant left Barca short of options in defence, which were compounded when Javier Mascherano and Adriano Correia also picked up injuries.

The inconsistency of forwards David Villa and Alexis Sanchez have meant Barca have been more reliant than usual on World Player of the Year Lionel Messi to score goals, especially in the big games.

“People talk of a cyclical change but we have returned to win the main title, the one that rewards consistency,” Barca sports director Andoni Zubizarreta said.

“If we look at our squad, 80 percent of the players that would interest us are already part of our team. As always, we’ll analyse what needs to be improved but the base is solid and we’ve already got it.”

The champions will have a victory parade through the streets of Barcelona on Monday.

(Reporting by Mark Elkington, editing by Alison Wildey)

Barca, who play at third-placed Atletico Madrid later on Sunday, have an unassailable lead in the table as Jose Mourinho’s team trail them by seven points with only two games left to play.

“There’ll only be a few changes,” Barcelona vice-president Josep Bartomeu told Barca TV. “It’s a very competitive team and it’s very difficult to substitute the pieces.”

“(Spain goalkeeper) Victor Valdes has told us he doesn’t want to continue, so we will try to find a replacement this summer. Also a central defender and a forward.”

Coach Tito Vilanova’s team made a record-breaking start notching 55 of a possible 57 points in the first half of the season, but have faltered in the knockout competitions over the last couple of months as injuries and fatigue took their toll.

Defeats to Real in the King’s Cup semi-finals and a thrashing at the hands of Bayern Munich in the last four of the Champions League had many predicting the end of Barcelona’s recent glittering run of successes.

A string of injury problems for 35-year-old captain Carles Puyol, and Eric Abidal’s long recovery from a liver transplant left Barca short of options in defence, which were compounded when Javier Mascherano and Adriano Correia also picked up injuries.

The inconsistency of forwards David Villa and Alexis Sanchez have meant Barca have been more reliant than usual on World Player of the Year Lionel Messi to score goals, especially in the big games.

“People talk of a cyclical change but we have returned to win the main title, the one that rewards consistency,” Barca sports director Andoni Zubizarreta said.

“If we look at our squad, 80 percent of the players that would interest us are already part of our team. As always, we’ll analyse what needs to be improved but the base is solid and we’ve already got it.”

The champions will have a victory parade through the streets of Barcelona on Monday. (Reporting by Mark Elkington, editing by Alison Wildey)