Diego Simeone says Atletico Madrid have ten finals remaining before the end of the season, with the manager stressing that Saturday’s match at Cordoba is the most important one.

Atletico are currently a point behind third place Valencia in La Liga, and Simeone has set the target of finishing as high as possible on the league table with 10 matches left.

Speaking ahead of their trip to Cordoba, Simeone once again emphasized the importance of his players representing the club and doing everything they can to ensure the reigning Champions of Spain secure Champions League qualification.

“We are very aware that we play with the shirt of Atletico de Madrid,” the manager said during his pre-match press conference.

“There are ten finals ahead of us in the league and there is one tomorrow that we need to play as such. Words matter little at this stage of the season.”

While Atletico currently hold the final UEFA Champions League spot, they are being pressured by a hard-charging Sevilla side who only trail them by four points on the league table.

Simeone feels the competition for European qualification is good for La Liga and hopes it stays that way.

“Valencia and Sevilla have improved tremendously,” the manager added. “Villarreal are still looking up the table. This is good for competition in the league and hopefully it stays that way.”

Cordoba enter the match against Atletico on a nine-game losing streak and have only accumulated eighteen points in 28 league matches. But regardless of his opponent’s recent form and position on the La Liga table, Simeone is aware of the threat the home side can pose to teams at the Estadio Nuevo Arcangel.

“Regarding tomorrow’s match against Cordoba, we have to play a very strong match from the start and compete with intensity with which we finished the last four games before the break,” Simeone concluded.

“In the last game, against Real Sociedad, they competed very well despite being reduced to ten men, and they played so until the end of the match. I can’t imagine any other situation that shows a competitive team, that fights and is competitive.”

Programming note: Cordoba vs. Atletico Madrid will be shown LIVE on Saturday starting at 11:55am EST on beINSPORTS en Espańol and fuboTV.