(Reuters) - Barcelona are still the best team in the world despite their recent troubles, Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone said on Saturday as his team prepared to face the La Liga champions. They're motivated about the title race after Real's defeat so I expect to see the best performance from them," Simeone told a news conference. A win for Atletico would take them on to 48 points, provisionally four behind Real and three off Barca, but Simeone batted away questions about whether victory would reignite his side's title push. "We're only thinking about the Barca game and nothing beyond that; they are a direct rival for third place and if the league permits it maybe something bigger, but it's still too soon to tell. Atletico have been boosted by the return of influential defender Diego Godin after two weeks out with a hamstring injury while Javier Mascherano and Arda Turan face late fitness tests.

Source: The Star February 25, 2017 16:30 UTC