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The La Liga title has been all but confirmed for quite sometime, but a mid-week slip up from Real Madrid could finally confirm what many have known, or at least believed.
Although Tito Vilanova's side could already be crowned champions before their next match against Atletico Madrid, what started off looking like a brilliant campaign for the Blaugrana has slowly lost some of is bright spots.
From their first 18 matches, Barcelona looked destined for yet another record breaking season, if that was even possible, after what they had already accomplished with Pep Guardiola at the helm. The transition to Vilanova did not appear to cause any problems for the Catalans as they kicked off at a remarkable pace.
17 victories from 18 possible in La Liga helped them build a significant cushion over Real Madrid. Along the way, Barcelona also outscored their opponents 66-20, before tasting defeat against Real Sociedad in January.
Everything looked great, the team was firing on all cylinders and the fans were enjoying their new manager, whose side had not skipped a beat considering Guardiola's departure. Now we fast forward a few months later, and the Barcelona and Real Madrid fans seem ready to just close the 2012/13 chapter, and regroup for next season.
Making up so much ground considering Barcelona's start to the season seemed to get more and more difficult as the first half of the season carried on. With 11 points now separating them, Jose Mourinho's view remains the same, but they will still need to play out the rest of their schedule, which could be four very long and tedious matches.
An unlikely loss for Los Blancos on Wednesday would give Barcelona the title, but had the Catalans not been in devastating form earlier in the season, things could have turned out to be more difficult than they would have liked, given their current run of form.
Uncharacteristic performances, coupled with Vilanova's absence and some key injuries have contributed to a 2012/13 campaign that has lost a lot of interest. The large gap in the leaderboards so early on made it a battle for a Champions League spot, opposed to a title battle for.
More often than not, the La Liga title is going to come down to either Real Madrid or Barcelona, but with the dominance of Barcelona and the lack of consistency from Real Madrid early on, it is safe to say that a lot of fans may have lost interest well before February.
With both sides out of the Champions League, they are both left with what if's, but for Real Madrid, things could get even more difficult with a probable departure of Jose Mourinho.
As mentioned before, the La Liga title has been all but guaranteed for Barcelona, barring a complete debacle in the remaining four matches. What could have been a brilliant campaign in the Champions League leading to an all Spanish final completely fell apart.
Now, both sides must not only play out their schedules, but they need to think long and hard in regards to what the future has in store for them.
For Barcelona, it does not appear as if Tito Vilanova will leave the club, but one absolute necessity is the need for reinforcements within the squad. Along with general reinforcements, the Catalans will likely be parting ways with a few players who are either at the end of their contract or they just did not work out for the club.
Madrid will begin a new cycle with a new manager, but if all goes well, they will at least be able to continue their current cycle with Cristiano Ronaldo, if he decides to renew his contract.
Do you think that the 2012/13 season has lost a significant amount of interest given the early lead Barcelona built over the rest of the competition?
