Madrid, Spain (Sports Network) - Real Madrid striker Robinho said earlier this week the “league is far from being over.”

Actually, it might be over in just a few more days.

Real Madrid hosts third-place Villarreal on Sunday with a chance to open a 10- point cushion at the top of the La Liga standings.

With six straight shutout wins in the league - and a nine-game unbeaten run in league play - Robinho did admit “we are on the right path.”

A win over Villarreal at the Bernabeu - where Real Madrid is 9-0 in the league this season - and a loss by Barcelona on Sunday would all but end the race.

Real Madrid hammered Villarreal on Sept. 2 in the teams’ second La Liga match, 5-0. Wesley Sneijder scored twice and Raul, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Guti all had one goal.

“We know they are a great side that has nothing to do with the team we faced in the first part of the season,” Guti said.

Villarreal has a modest two-game winning streak in league matches - where its scored seven combined goals - and it tied Barcelona, 0-0, in the first leg of the King’s Cup semifinals Thursday.

American-born striker Giuseppe Rossi and Nihat Kahveci lead Villarreal with a combined 19 goals this season. Kahveci has 11 and Rossi eight.

“We must do our best against Villarreal,” Real Madrid’s Fernando Gago said.

On Saturday, Sevilla hosts Osasuna with hopes of breaking away from a pack of 12 teams currently separated by just five points in the standings. Sevilla is near the top of the group in ninth in the league with 26 points.

Also on Sunday, second-place Barcelona visits Athletic Bilbao, Valencia hosts Almeria, Recreativo hosts Getafe, Real Murcia hosts Levante, Deportivo hosts Real Valladolid, Espanyol hosts Real Betis, Mallorca hosts Atletico Madrid and Racing hosts Real Zaragoza.

(sportsnetwork.com)