Diego Simeone relishing battle for third

Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone has claimed that the race for third position in La Liga "is beautiful and very competitive".

A 13-match unbeaten run in the league has seen Atletico take control of third and they are now four points above Valencia with two games remaining.

Should the strike in Spain be lifted this week, Atletico will welcome Barcelona to the Vicente Calderon on Sunday.

"[The fight for third place] is beautiful and very competitive. Sevilla are doing very well in the Europa League and Valencia, who don't have the Copa [del Rey] or Champions League to distract them, are competing very well too," Simeone told reporters.

"A great battle [for third battle] awaits us [in the final two weeks of the season], and [the pressure] can affect you."

Atletico are currently 13 points behind the league leaders Barcelona.