Barcelona have given rivals Sevilla and Real Madrid renewed hope of depriving them of a third Spanish Primera Liga title in a row after the Catalans slipped to a 2-0 defeat at Villarreal on Sunday.

"Their defeat has given us an extra boost and we will be battling for the title right to bitter end," Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon told Telemadrid.

"It is going to be difficult but I'm sure that we have got a chance of winning the title. Every game that remains will be like a final for us."

Barca's defeat at Villarreal meant that they have won only one of their last 10 away matches in the league and with seven games left to play they are one point ahead of Sevilla and two clear of arch-rivals Real.

"We are going to have a very exciting end to the season," Sevilla coach Juande Ramos told reporters after his side's 4-1 win over Athletic Bilbao on Sunday.

"Our aim is to win all of our remaining matches. We aren't in a straight fight against Barcelona because Real are hot on our heels and Zaragoza and Valencia aren't far behind either.

"There are still 21 points at stake and if a team gets a good run of results they will be able to make up ground very quickly."

Barca coach Frank Rijkaard admitted his side's loss at Villarreal had been a costly one.

"It is turning out to be a very difficult championship," the Dutchman told reporters. "Every game we lose it is a missed opportunity, but we have to keep working hard and try to earn more points. There are no favourites now."

The Madrid-based media also believe that Barca have made a mistake by arranging an exhibition match against Egyptian side Al Ahli in Cairo on Tuesday.

They said that the additional travelling and the suffocating heat in Cairo could take its toll on a team that has looked increasingly weary in recent games.

Barcelona host relegation-threatened Levante next Sunday, Sevilla entertain mid-table Espanyol and Real take on struggling Athletic Bilbao at San Mames.