Atletico have been battling at the top of the Spanish league all season, and head into the fourth Madrid derby of the season against Real on Sunday on the back of two back to back league defeats.

Diego Simeone’s team stumbled to shock defeats against Almeria and Osasuna, which allowed Real Madrid to open up a three-point lead over them ( Atletico) and Barcelona at the top.

Both teams from the Spanish capital are fresh from registering away wins in the UEFA Champions League last 16. Real Madrid thrashed German side Schalke 04 6-1 in the first leg, while Atletico won 1-0 away to AC Milan.

It means the two, along with Barcelona, who also won 2-0 in England against Manchester City, have at least one leg in the quarterfinals barring any slips in the second leg matches.

Atletico won the corresponding league fixture against archrivals Real Madrid 1-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu in September, and Carlo Ancelotti’s men will be looking to make up for that defeat.

Although Ancelotti’s team had their revenge over their local rivals with a comprehensive 5-0 aggregate win in the semi-finals of the King’s Cup (Copa del Rey), they will be keen to consolidate their place at the top of the la Liga going into the final straight.

Real will be boosted by the return of Cristiano Ronaldo to league action after the Portuguese captain missed his side’s last three domestic games for his red card in the 1-1 draw away to Athletic Bilbao at the start of last month.

The Ballon d’Or winner, who netted a brace and set up two more in the 6-1 demolition of Schalke 04 on Wednesday, will be looking to guide his frustration at the length of the ban, which his club appealed but failed in their attempt.

At the start of the season, every observer of the Spanish league thought only Barcelona and Real Madrid were capable of winning the title but Atletico, whose last La Liga title came way back in 1996, have proved to be more than a match for the two biggest clubs in the world.

Simeone’s team has fallen off the pace in recent weeks after a dip in form, but they remain just three points off the top heading into tomorrow’s clash with the table leaders.

A win for the home team would move them level at the top, and if the reigning champions Barcelona also beat Almeria at the Nou Camp on Sunday, it would all but take the title race back to square one as all three sides will have 63 points. A Real win would end Atletico’s hopes for yet another season.

Lionel Messi is beginning to get back to his top level, which can only be good for the champions, who were shocked 3-1 by fourth-placed Real Sociedad last weekend.

That result has heaped more pressure on coach Tata Martino, whose job has come under scrutiny in recent weeks and reports that Barcelona are looking to a new coach to replace the Argentinean at the end of the season.