Barcelona win, Lionel Messi scores. Real Madrid win, Cristiano Ronaldo scores. Life continues as normal in La Liga, Spain's premier football division, where the title race is entering the home straight. But the championship is still Barcelona's to lose -- four points clear of their great rivals with just eight games left. Barcelona waltzed to a routine 4-0 home win over Almeria on Wednesday, with Messi curling in a magnificent left-foot shot from the edge of the penalty area to open the scoring. Real Madridhad a stiffer test in their local derby against Rayo Vallecano before second-half goals from Ronaldo and James Rodriguez secured the points. It was the Portuguese international's 300th goal for Real in 288 matchesand put him just 23 goals behind the club's record goalscorer Raul, who took 741 matches to reach a tally of 323 goals. However, Real picked up five yellow cards, making Ronaldo, Rodriguez and Toni Kroos ineligible for their next league fixture. Ronaldo was booked for a dive in the penalty area when he appeared to slip as he was being tackled. He protested with the customary melo drama, and he had a point. At least Los Blancos' next league game is at home to little Eibar. Ronaldo v Messi: Brand Value 01:40 If Madrid harbor any hopes of overhauling their great rivals, it's because they have a marginally easier run-in. Both they and Barca play against Valencia at home and Sevilla away, two sides still chasing that lucrative final berth in next year's European Champions League. But Barcelona also have to visit third-place Atletico Madrid in their penultimate game of the season. If by then Real have closed the gap, it will be a nerve-wracking affair for Barca fans. Their side has a superior goal difference but that will count for nothing if Barcelona and Real are level on points after the final round of matches on May 24th -- because the title will be decided on their head-to-head record, which favors Real. The top two also have to balance domestic requirements with the quarterfinals of the Champions League, and that's where Real will come up against their cross-town rivals Atletico in a repeat of last year's final. It will be a feisty affair, while Barcelona arguably have a more tactical battle against Paris Saint-Germain. For the top teams in Europe, the games come thick and fast at this stage of the season: injuries, suspensions and tactical rotations will all influence the outcome. Besides the race for La Liga, there is also the undeclared contest between Ronaldo and Messi to finish as La Liga's top scorer. Messi has 33 goals. Ronaldo has scored 37, helped by no fewer than five goals against a depleted and relegation-threatened Granada last weekend. Carlos Bacca of Sevilla is a distant third on 17. The quality of both Ronaldo and Messi is indisputable but some might argue it's easier for them to find the net in Spain than if they were playing in England, Germany or Italy. The statistics suggest it might be. Nothing can be taken for granted in the faster and more physical English Premier League.