Atletico Madrid need a win today at Espanyol to stay in touch with the top two, according to Fernando Torres.
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Atletico have dropped to seven points behind leaders Barcelona after a run which has seen them take just five points from a possible 12, prompting manager Diego Simeone to declare their title challenge is over.
However with a Champions League tie against Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday, Torres says victory will not only put them back in title contention but also deliver a confidence boost ahead of their European tie.
“We have to win because we need to keep in the running, given the position we’re in,” the striker said. “We all know how important what comes after this.
“If we beat Espanyol, we’ll boost our league position and take greater confidence into the following match. Everything hinges on our next game.”
Simeone has key men Miranda and Antoine Griezmann back in the squad after they missed last weekend’s draw with Valencia through suspension, but left back Guilherme Siqueira and frontman Mario Mandzukic are absent for the same reason.
Elsewhere, Rayo Vallecano will attempt to put last Sunday’s 6-1 thrashing at Barcelona behind them as they host Granada, who did their hopes of avoiding relegation a power of good by defeating Malaga. And the day’s action is rounded off by a mid-table battle between Celta Vigo and Athletic Bilbao.
Atletic’s in-form striker Aritz Aduriz has played down suggestions that he is in line for an international call-up from Spain boss Vicente Del Bosque for the forthcoming European Championship qualifier against Ukraine after scoring eight goals in his last ten games.
“I have huge respect for Del Bosque,” said the 34 year-old, who with 10 goals is the second-highest scoring Spaniard in La Liga this season behind Rayo Vallecano’s Alberto Bueno. “But my head is 100 per cent with my club.”
