Barcelona go into next Saturday's 'El Clasico' against Real Madrid knowing victory at Camp Nou could be a giant step towards wrestling the title from their arch-rivals.
Unbeaten in 20 games in all competitions, Barca wiped the floor with Valencia on Saturday, running out easy 4-0 winners to open up a six-point gap over Villarreal, while Real's 4-3 defeat by Sevilla left them nine points adrift.
Victory for Barca would give them a 12-point cushion over Real, and surely end the champions' hopes of a third successive league title.
Last season Bernd Schuster's side won 1-0 at Camp Nou, and then crushed Frank Rijkaard's Barca 4-1 on their own ground after the Barcelona players had formed a guard of honour to acknowledge the champions.
Under new coach Pep Guardiola, Barca have only lost once in the league - on the opening day of the season to Numancia - and notched 11 wins and two draws.
Belarus winger Alexander Hleb said: 'Everyone wants to play against Barca and beat us - especially Real Madrid.
'I realise it's a special game with the tradition and the rivalry. We intend to win and think we can.'
Barcelona face Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday in the Champions League first, but are likely to rest star players having already won the group to qualify for the last 16.
French striker Thierry Henry, who scored a hat-trick against Valencia, admits he can't pinpoint the reasons for Barca's reversal in fortunes.
Henry said: 'I can't explain the change compared with last season but the fans are certainly enjoying it.
'We have Shakhtar Donetsk and then we can focus on 'El Clasico’ against Real Madrid. It's always a great game against Real and we’re all excited about it.'
A fit Lionel Messi has certainly given Barca more potency up front, and Sevilla forward Frederic Kanoute believes the Argentine sensation is what separates Barca from Real.
Kanoute told daily AS: 'You can't talk about Barca without mentioning Messi and a large part of their success is down to him.
'He is a special player that makes the difference.
'Real Madrid don't have a player like him and neither do anyone else.'
Guardiola prefers to focus on the team rather than individuals and said the home support was a major factor.
Guardiola explained: 'We are scoring a lot of goals and not conceding many and without these things we wouldn't be where we are.
'It is a pleasure to play in this stadium and to see the Camp Nou so full of emotion. We play for the fans and want to make them happy.'
There is no doubt that Barca are favourites for the match but club president Joan Laporta called for caution.
Laporta said: 'A wounded Real Madrid is dangerous and we need Camp Nou to be a pressure cooker because the team grows when the public are behind them.
