FC Barcelona's coach Tito Vilanova attends a press conference at the Sports Center FC Barcelona Joan Gamper in San Joan Despi, Spain, Tuesday, April 30, 2013 (Photo: AP)
Coach Tito Vilanova could miss the title celebrations if Barcelona are crowned La Liga champions on Wednesday as he will be in New York having a medical check up.
Barca's 4-2 victory at home to Real Betis on Sunday left the Catalans 11 points clear of second-placed Real Madrid with four games left to play, and requiring only two more points to make first place unassailable.
Real host Malaga at the Bernabeu in a re-arranged fixture on Wednesday when anything less than a victory would hand Barca their fourth title in five years - Vilanova's first in his debut season at the helm.
"On Monday, I am going to New York for some scheduled tests and I will be back on Thursday," Vilanova told the post-match news conference.
Vilanova spent two months in New York earlier this year having radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatment for cancer and returned to the dugout in March.
The 44-year-old had an operation to remove a tumour from his saliva glands in November 2011 and required a second round of surgery in December.
If Real win their game, Barca's next opportunity to seal the league title will be at the Calderon next Sunday, when they visit third-placed Atletico Madrid.
"We have to think we will need two more points because Madrid will probably collect all theirs," Vilanova said.
"We should recognise it is hard to win a league and when we do achieve it we should really celebrate it".
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