IT IS the tightest Spanish league title contest this century. The top two level on points, with Sevilla, in third, only two behind Real Madrid in first. Where it runs so close, allies start cosying up to one another. Ahead of tonight’s climax, Javier Portillo, the centre-forward at Nastic of Tarragona, who play second-placed Barcelona, has been vigorously reminded of his Real Madrid roots. Meanwhile the beanpole striker Maxi Lopez, on loan at Real Mallorca, who visit Madrid tonight, has had several Barça players call him to stress his obligations. Maxi is a Barça employee.

Last weekend, each of the top three drew, leaving Madrid in the best position to celebrate their first championship since 2003, because they hold a head-to-head advantage over Barcelona and that, not overall goal difference, is La Liga’s tie-breaker. Sevilla’s task is toughest, not only because they must make up points but they alone of the leaders face an opponent on the last day with something to play for. Villarreal, who go to Seville, have a Uefa Cup place to hold.

Barça are away, but only an hour’s trip down the Catalan coast and their opponents, Nastic, are already relegated. In Madrid, points for Mallorca would at best adjust whether they finish in the top half, or 11th or 12th in La Liga. For Nastic and Mallorca, motivation may be a little scarce, so in the time-honoured tradition of Spanish end-of-season nail-biters, some unattributed suggestions of extra incentives to play hard are being reported. Marca, the sports tabloid, has Mallorca players on a shared bonus of €2m if they take something from the Bernabeu, money to be provided by “a Barcelona businessman”.

“You can’t buy the motivation of a player,” insisted Gregorio Manzano, Mallorca’s head coach, “and it’s a pity that’s been the talk this week. Nobody ever confirms these payments, but I expect if we win at Madrid, some people will say it’s because Barcelona offered us a bonus.” Such payments are illegal, though there are former players ready to say they exist, or to say so well after the tax authorities might be inclined to look back over their returns for the appropriate year. Davor Suker recounted how, as a Sevilla player 11 years ago, he and his teammates were rewarded for their part in a positive result against a team competing with Atletico Madrid for the league.

Madrid hope to be at full strength, although David Beckham has nursed his left ankle, injured while playing for England in Estonia, through training in the past seven days. After tense negotiations with the Brazilian and Malian football federations, Madrid can also select winger Robinho and midfielder Mahamadou Diarra. Robinho is in Brazil’s squad for the Copa America, which begins on June 26, but has been granted permission to play in his club’s final game. Diarra had travelled to Mali for an African Cup of Nations tie scheduled for yesterday, but returned to Madrid on Friday, Fifa having argued that Madrid had a case for keeping the player because the international fixture had been arranged after the dates of the Spanish league season were known. Also on his way back from Mali was Sevilla’s Freddie Kanoute, the club’s leading goalscorer.

Cameroon, also in Nations Cup action, agreed that their centre-forward, Samuel Eto’o, could remain with Barça, for whom he could be playing his final competitive game, with Milan, Liverpool and Arsenal interested in a striker who has initiated two dressing-room controversies this season and would fetch a handsome price should his employers decide his tendency for verbal indiscretion outweighs his prolific efforts in the penalty area. Around Barça there is a feeling that the most radical set of changes for at least three years is needed to a talented squad. Madrid will also be buying. Roberto Carlos, like Beckham, plays his final game in white tonight.

In Sevilla, the feeling is of a squad with not quite the elasticity for the marathon that has been their season. Ten months ago, they won the European Super Cup, thrashing Barcelona in Monaco. Not long afterwards, they climbed to the top of the Spanish league. In May, for the second season running, they won the Uefa Cup. And this week, they have the final of the Copa del Rey.

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