Barcelona could confirm their first La Liga title since Lionel Messi's departure with a win against cross-town rivals Espanyol tonight, but there is every chance that Xavi's team could take the field with the title already confirmed.

If Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid both fail to secure victory this weekend, Barça would already be champions before taking the field.

In any case, Barcelona need just two of the remaining 15 points on offer to win their first domestic league since title 2019.

That title capped a dominant run of eight league titles in 11 seasons, but the Covid-19 pandemic exacerbated Barcelona's financial crisis and led to the loss of the world's best player and a subsequent decline on the field.

"He's [Sergio Busquets] the most intelligent player I have ever played with. It has been great to have him as captain. It's very important for him to leave the club having won LaLiga"

— Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez

Barcelona managed to win the 2021 Copa del Rey -- Messi's last title before leaving for Paris Saint-Germain -- under Ronald Koeman, but the 2019-20 and the 2021-22 campaigns ended with no silverware.

To turn this around this season, the club leadership made the controversial decision to sell off part of their future television revenues and other assets to inject new talent such as star striker Robert Lewandowski, winger Raphinha, and defenders Jules Kounde and Andreas Christensen.

The end of the season will also see the last remnant of Pep Guardiola's all-conquering Barcelona leave, with Sergio Busquets set to depart the club.

Current coach Xavi Hernandez believed it would signal the start of a new era at the club, adding that he hoped the likes of Pedri and Gavi could beat anything he, Iniesta and Busquets achieved at Barcelona.

"We are working on forming a new (era)," Xavi told a news conference Saturday. "I hope players like Gavi, and Pedri, can even go beyond us, that is life, that is sport. I hope they can surpass us, I hope. There's a very good batch, home-grown players and midfielders especially. I hope they follow in Busquets' footsteps and can achieve as much success as he has, a new era is beginning."

However, Espanyol, in second-to-last place, will also be desperate for points as they look to stave off relegation. "We know that this is a life-or-death game," Espanyol midfielder Nico Melamed said. "We will treat this like a final."