Barca keep up the chase as Clasico looms

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola preferred to focus on his team’s Champions League semi-final against Chelsea rather than next weekend’s crucial El Clasico, but labelled his side’s chances of retaining the Primera Division title “a little less impossible” following Saturday night’s 2-1 win at Levante.

The Catalan club looked out of the title race when they slipped 12 points behind Real Madrid last month.

But, while the leaders have dropped points against Malaga, Villarreal and Valencia in recent games, Barca have kept plugging away, and on Saturday night clinched their 11th straight victory in La Liga to swiftly reduce the gap back to four points after Jose Mourinho’s side had beaten Sporting Gijon 3-1.

Guardiola takes his side to Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night for the first leg of their Champions League semi-final, and the 41-year-old insisted his focus was on that rather than next Saturday.

“I don’t have the strength to think about it [the match against Madrid]. We have to focus on Chelsea — it’s a Champions League semi-final,” he said.

“If they win, it’s over. We’ll see how we come into the match. We’ll have to play a very good game to beat them.”

The Spanish and European champions were forced to work hard before Lionel Messi’s second-half double earned them victory at the Ciutat de Valencia.

Jose Barkero gave Levante the lead with a 23rd-minute penalty and Barca appeared to be making heavy weather of getting back on terms.

But Messi burst into life with two goals in nine minutes, the second a spot-kick of his own, to turn the game around.

Meanwhile Gonzalo Higuain says Real Madrid face “five finals” between now and the end of the season as they bid to fend off the challenge of Barcelona.

Madrid maintained their four-point lead as they came from behind to defeat Sporting Gijon 3-1 at the Bernabeu last night.

The visitors went into a shock lead after half an hour when Miguel de las Cuevas scored from the penalty spot after Sergio Ramos handled in the area.

Higuain levelled seven minutes later with a header and Cristiano Ronaldo made Madrid’s pressure count on 75 minutes when he powered home Angel di Maria’s cross to score a record-breaking 41st goal of the campaign.

Roberto Canella was then sent-off for the visitors for a second bookable offence and the hosts wrapped up all three points when Mesut Ozil’s exquisite through-ball was slotted home by Karim Benzema.

Last night’s strikes by Higuain, Ronaldo and Benzema saw Madrid equal their 107-goal record haul in La Liga.

In Germany, Bayern Munich coach Jupp Heynckes says it was always going to be difficult playing Mainz after a 0-0 draw all-but ended their hopes of winning the Bundesliga this season.

League leaders Borussia Dortmund can clinch the title with just one win from their last three games and Heynckes says last Wednesday’s 1-0 defeat to the Westphalians and tomorrow’s Champions League semi-final with Real had an impact on yesterday’s stalemate.

“We have got to recognise what situation we were in coming into this match,” he said. “It was after the Dortmund game and before the Real (Madrid) game. Tuesday’s game is obviously in the back of the players’ minds.

“Therefore, it was very difficult psychologically for today’s game. From tomorrow, we will focus on Real Madrid.”