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#2 The Lionel Messi factor
Lionel Messi is unarguably the single greatest player in LaLiga's 90-year history and Barcelona have been immensely lucky to have had his services for the last 15 years.
The 32-year-old's abilities are well documented and with him in the side, the Blaugrana have a significant advantage over all other teams in the league, as no player currently in LaLiga even comes close to matching his extraterrestrial performance levels.
A large part of Barcelona's struggles earlier on in the season came as a result of their skipper's absence due to a calf injury and their form improved drastically upon his return to full fitness - it does not take a rocket scientist to make the corroboration between the two.
Provided Messi stays fit, Barcelona have much higher chances of winning matches thus improving their chances of successfully defending their LaLiga title.
