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Barca close on title as Madrid face derby test

By Mark Elkington MADRID (Reuters) - Barcelona can secure their fourth La Liga title in five years on Saturday, but the celebrations are likely to be muted with the club facing a mountain to climb in their Champions League semi-final. Barca lead second-placed Real Madrid by 13 points with six games left to play, and could move 16 clear with a victory at struggling Athletic Bilbao (1600 GMT). That would be enough to deliver them the title should Real then lose at third-placed Atletico Madrid (1800).

Football: Atletico miss chance to close gap on Barca

Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone lamented his side's inability to turn possession into goals as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Malaga on Sunday. Barcelona's 2-1 defeat to Real Madrid on Saturday had meant Atletico could have cut the gap at the top to nine points with a win, but they failed to find a way through in a match that started brightly before fizzling out. "The team dominated the game. We just lacked the final pass to convert that domination into a goal but overall we played well for the 90 minutes," Simeone told reporters.
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