Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone says he trusts his players will get the result they need in Saturday's final day game at Granada to achieve the season's aim of direct qualification for next year's Champions League.
Third-placed Atletico go into their last fixture three points ahead of nearest challengers Valencia, however the head-to-head record means that this season's CL quarterfinalists must get a point to maintain their position in the La Liga table and avoid slipping into a potentially tricky playoff in August.
The Argentine coach told his pre-game news conference that he was happy that Atletico had reached this situation with their destiny in their own hands.
"We are depending on ourselves, and the right thing to do is to concentrate on what we do," Simeone said. "It is a final we must play with the intensity and aggression we are used to, so we play a big game which brings us to the place we wanted to reach at the start of the season."
Opponents Granada also have lots to play for in Saturday's game. The Andalusians had appeared set for relegation just a few weeks ago, but three straight wins under new coach Jose Ramon Sandoval have lifted them two points clear of the drop zone ahead of the final game.
Simeone said the likely charged atmosphere at the Estadio Nuevo Los Carmenes could well end up having an effect on proceedings on the pitch.
"Granada have changed in these three games," he said. "The boss has brought a lot of enthusiasm and excitement. Football is like this. The atmosphere of the game will be important for the home team, but also dangerous. In the same was as the fans can lift you, if the result gets difficult it can go the other way."
Atletico attacking duo Arda Turan and Mario Mandzukic would not be available to play, Simeone said, with the Turkey playmaker having not come through a late fitness exam.
"Neither of the two will be available," Simeone said. "Arda had a test, but he is not fit for such an important game."
Atletico have taken just two points and scored two goals in their last three games -- however Simeone said things always got tougher as the end of the campaign neared.
"The championship is always very long, and when the end of the season comes and the objectives are very close, the responsibility and pressure means games are not so easy," he said. "At the end of the season the teams do not get the same points they are used to. It is like tennis. Sometimes the matchpoint ends up in the net. We feel good, we are in charge of our own destiny, and we are going for our objective."
This 2014-15 season will be the first time Atletico finish the campaign without a major trophy since Simeone took charge in December 2011, however the former Colchoneros player praised the effort a much-changed side had put in this season as defending La Liga champions.
"The most difficult thing is, after being champion, to face up to the following season," he said. "Above all with so many changes. The demands, what we demand from ourselves, has grown a lot. The group has made an enormous effort. We are within what the club had planned for and we hope to do it well."
Asked about a potential return to the Vicente Calderon for former Atletico centre-forward Radamel Falcao, whose future is up in the air after a disappointing season on loan at Manchester United from Monaco, Simeone was diplomatic and gave little away.
"I always say the same about players who have been with us," he said. "I have a lot of affection for [Falcao] and wish him the best. To speak of this now does not seem fair to me. Next week we will speak about what is in front of us."