Barcelona will fight until the end in La Liga title race Luis Enrique

Barcelona will fight until the end in La Liga title race Luis Enrique [ad_1]

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Luis Enrique will have one eye on Real Madrid's game at Malaga on Sunday but says his focus is on guaranteeing Barcelona beat Eibar as the Liga title race comes down to the final day.

Barca must win their last game of the season against the Basque side at Camp Nou and hope Madrid lose at La Rosaleda if they are to win their third consecutive league title under outgoing coach Luis Enrique.

"Of course I am interested [in the Madrid game] but it would be ridiculous to be following it closely and worrying what's happening," Luis Enrique said in a news conference on Saturday.

"I have to focus on the Eibar game, but of course I will have an eye on the Madrid score, too."

A win at Granada gave Barca the title on the final day of last season but they went into that game with everything in their hands.

This year, one point will be enough for Madrid to win a first title in five years and Luis Enrique says that's because his side haven't been as consistently good as in previous campaigns.

"We don't depend on ourselves, but we will fight until the end," he added. "The only thing we can do is get three points. If that's not enough, we will congratulate the champions.

"It's very different to previous final days, when we did depend on ourselves. This time we don't, which shows we have not done things quite as well as in past seasons -- but it also shows what a fine line there is between success and failure."

Luis Enrique is stepping down as Barcelona coach but he will remain a fan of the club.

Gerard Pique will return for Barcelona against Eibar after missing last weekend's win over Las Palmas with a stomach bug and Sergi Roberto is also back having served a one-game suspension.

However, Javier Mascherano remains sidelined with a thigh problem and Luis Enrique says the defender is a doubt for next Saturday's Copa del Rey final against Alaves at the Vicente Calderon.

Prior to Sunday's game Barca supporters will unveil a huge banner to thank Luis Enrique for his three years in charge, with Eibar's visit representing his final match in the Camp Nou dugout.

"I won't speak [on the pitch after the game] because I'm not going anywhere," the Barca boss said when asked if he would address the fans.

Reaffirming his plan to take a sabbatical next season, he said: "Next year I will be here with the Barca supporters watching from the stands.

"It will be a special night but when I accepted the job I knew it wasn't going to be for a long time. Barca's history is full of moments like this -- people keep on coming and going.

"I'm super proud to have formed part of the club's history. I'm privileged. But next season I will be back at Camp Nou for many games as a socio, so it's not a goodbye, it's a see you soon."

Samuel Marsden covers Barcelona for ESPN FC. Follow him on Twitter @SamuelMarsden.

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