5 title-deciding El Clasico clashes

Madrid - Real Madrid can take a huge step towards a first La Liga title in five years when it hosts Barcelona in El Clasico on Sunday.

Madrid leads Barca by three points at the top and has a game in hand on its rivals.

Here's look at five other El Clasico tilts which have decided the title in recent years:

Barcelona 2- 1 Real Madrid (March 22, 2015)

Luis Suarez scored what he then described as his "most important goal" to tilt the title race decisively in Barca's favour as it went onto complete a treble of league, Champions League and Copa del Rey.

Cristiano Ronaldo cancelled out Jeremy Mathieu's early opener.

However, Suarez's brilliant control and finish early in the second-half handed Barca a four-point lead which it never surrendered in the final 10 games of the season despite Madrid dropping just two more points.

Barcelona 1-2 Real Madrid (April 21, 2012)

Ronaldo scored the goal that brought down the curtain on Barca's most successful ever era in Pep Guardiola's final El Clasico in charge.

Madrid travelled to the Camp Nou with a healthy four-point lead and landed the knockout blow when Ronaldo rounded Victor Valdes before slotting home from a narrow angle.

Real Madrid 0-2 Barcelona (April 10, 2010)

In one of the most hotly contested races ever, Barca won the title in Guardiola's second season by three points despite Madrid claiming a then club record 96 points.

The difference between the sides came at the Bernabeu as Xavi teed up Lionel Messi and Pedro either side of half-time.

Real Madrid 2-6 Barcelona (May 2, 2009)

Fondly remembered in Catalonia as one of the best El Clasico performances of all time.

Largely forgotten, though, is that Madrid had threatened to snatch the title away by winning 17 and drawing one of its previous 18 games.

By doing so it had whittled Barca's lead at the top down from 12 to four points.

Madrid even took the lead through Gonzalo Higuain, but doubles from Messi and Thierry Henry plus goals from centre-backs Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique completed a famous Barca victory.

Barcelona 3-3 Real Madrid (March 10, 2007)

The night when Messi truly announced his arrival to the world, but which ultimately handed Madrid the title.

Messi scored all three of Barca's goals, the first of his now record 21 in El Clasicos.

However, all three Messi strikes were equalisers after Ruud van Nistelrooy scored twice and then Sergio Ramos had put Madrid in front.

Real ended up winning the title thanks to its better head-to-head record against Barca having won 2-0 at the Bernabeu earlier in the season with both sides locked on 76 points.