Barcelona's slump means the Liga title race is back on, and in-form Real Madrid could go top by beating Villarreal on Wednesday.
Marcelo has urged Real Madrid to keep up the pressure on Barcelona and Atletico Madrid by winning another "final" against Villarreal on Wednesday.
Having looked to be a foregone conclusion just a few weeks ago, suddenly the Liga title race is very much on thanks to a combination of Barca's slump and both Madrid clubs hitting form just at the right time.
Champion Barca has lost its last three Liga games, the club's worst run since October 2003, allowing Atletico to draw level on 76 points with Real lurking just one point further back.