Top horses FC Barcelona and Real Madrid are neck and neck heading into the home stretch

“...And they turn for home, with Real Madrid on the inside, FC Barcelona on the outside, just one length behind! Barça's edging up, and now they're neck and neck as they head for the finish! They’re close along the rail! And here comes Barça, storming into the lead! AND DOWN THE STRETCH THEY COME! This one’s going down to the wire! The Catalans, the defending champs, are in first and looking strong with a furlong to go in La Liga! Here’s the wire! It’s desperately close!...”

Now, we don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves, but the 2016/17 La Liga is shaping up to be, pardon the pun, a classic. That’s because, as of today, FC Barcelona and Real Madrid are in a virtual dead heat with just a handful of games remaining.

Barça had been on Madrid’s heels all spring, it seemed, until Sunday night’s dramatic, last-second victory at the Bernabéu toppled Los Blancos and sent Els Blaugranes into first place — on a tie-breaker.

The two arch-rivals are even on points, but Barça have the edge on goal differential. Barça have four games to play; Real Madrid five — the extra game stemming from a match at Celta Vigo that was postponed in February after an epic thunderstorm damaged the Galician team’s stadium.

Thus, it all comes down to this. The league’s top two horses are engaged in an all-out sprint that appears to be headed down to the wire.