Atletico Madrid v Real Sociedad: Simeone looking for momentum

Atletico Madrid will hope to steal a march on their Liga title rivals with victory over Real Sociedad at Vicente Calderon on Tuesday.

The defending champions are nine points adrift of leaders Barcelona and five behind Real Madrid, but can reduce their arrears when they host David Moyes’ side 24 hours before the top two play.

Simeone watched with delight as Atletico cruised past Cordoba on Saturday thanks to goals from Antoine Griezmann and Saul, and the Argentine is keen to maintain momentum with a third league win in succession.

Atletico are looking for revenge over Sociedad after losing at Anoeta earlier in the season, with Simeone all too aware that Moyes’ men pose a big threat.

“You have to be more prepared than ever because [this stage of the season] is very difficult,” he said.

“We competed very well in our last game against Real Sociedad.

“We had 10 men in that game [after Guilherme Siqueira was sent off in the 50th minute] and it spoke volumes about the competitive tension the coach [Moyes] has instilled in them.”

Atleti could welcome back Miguel Moya, who has missed two games after picking up a thigh injury during his side’s UEFA Champions League victory over Bayer Leverkusen on March 17.

The goalkeeper has returned to training, while Raul Garcia is also back in contention as Atletico look to extend their six-game unbeaten run in the league.

Sociedad arrive in the Spanish capital on the back of a 1-1 draw at Malaga on Saturday, Ruben Pardo’s late equaliser maintaining the club’s strong recent form.

Moyes has quietly gone about his business since arriving in November, and lifted Sociedad into the top half with nine games to play.

The Scot, whose team trail eighth-placed Athletic Bilbao by just two points, was impressed with the performance against Malaga.

“We worked very hard to get the draw because Malaga were exceptional for around 20 minutes and we deserved a point [for our efforts],” he said.

“Our first objective was to avoid relegation. Since then, we’ve been improving and climbing up the table.

“If we manage to reach seventh place then that’s great, but it’s not a big deal if we don’t.”

Moyes’ only away victory at Sociedad so far came at Madrid-based Getafe and he will be hoping the capital is a happy hunting ground once again.