MADRID - Real Madrid remain in the driving seat in LaLiga's title race but after dropping points in consecutive weeks Carlo Ancelotti's side have seen what seemed a comfortable lead suddenly vanish, leaving them with a battle to retain their crown.
The leaders head to Pamplona to face Osasuna on Saturday with 50 points, one point ahead of Atletico, with third-placed Barcelona another point back and firmly in the title race.
After a few weeks of struggle for Barca in LaLiga while missing talisman Lamine Yamal with an injury in late November, they are on an 11-game unbeaten run in all competitions.
The Catalans took advantage of Real's 1-0 loss at lowly Espanyol followed by a 1-1 draw with Atleti in the capital derby last week to close the gap and get right back in contention.
Real's seven-point cushion has disappeared and they have been left with little margin for error in a critical moment of the season as they eye three major titles while battling with several injuries suffered by key defensive players.
As they prepare to host Manchester City on Wednesday in their Champions League playoff second leg, after winning 3-2 away, it is unclear if Ancelotti can rest any starters at Osasuna, who have won one of their last 11 league matches.
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With Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao out for the season with torn ACLs and Antonio Ruediger, David Alaba and Lucas Vazquez still recovering from leg muscle injuries, Ancelotti is expected to keep playing midfielders Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde at the back as he improvises with a depleted defense.
Title challengers Atletico host Celta Vigo, also on Saturday, while Barcelona welcome Rayo Vallecano on Monday.
Diego Simeone's Atleti were left rueing their missed chances in last weekend's 1-1 derby draw at the Santiago Bernabeu, a game they dominated in a first half where Julian Alvarez opened the scoring with a chipped penalty.
Atletico paid the price as they left the door open for Kylian Mbappe to equalize in the second half but could hold their heads high, having lost only one of their last 22 matches in all competitions while playing arguably some of the best football in Europe's top competitions in the last few months.
Not far behind in terms of points and performance are Barca, who have the best attack on the continent with 113 goals in 34 games in all competitions this season.
They have scored 24 in their last six competitive matches, 13 of those in three league games, with Robert Lewandowski LaLiga's top scorer with 19 goals.
Atletico and Barcelona, who both secured qualification to the Champions League last 16 with a top-eight finish in the group phase table, will meet later this month in the Copa del Rey semifinals after being drawn together on Wednesday.
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The winners of that tie will face either Real Madrid or Real Sociedad in the April 26 final in Seville.
