Dreaming of a red and white Christmas

There are still two matches to come, against L'Hospitalet and Athletic de Bilbao. Another 180 minutes of action.

This was the subtext during Atletico de Madrid's traditional Christmas lunch on Tuesday, for which the squad, coaching staff and higher-ups - led by president Enrique Cerezo - got together at a nice restaurant to toast this grand old club's best-ever year. A year in which Diego Simeone's impeccably coached troops captured the club's first La Liga title for 18 seasons and came desperately close to adding the Champions League to the Calderon trophy cabinets.

This weekend sees a daunting trip to San Mames and a chance to bounce back from the demoralising loss to Villarreal. That defeat left Atletico seven points off the top of the table, though both the coach and the players know full well that their most realistic goal is to finish third and guarantee another year in the Champions League.

On target

The 'Rojiblancos' are currently on course to meet this target, but with Sevilla snapping at their heels just two points adrift, the importance of winning in Bilbao cannot be overstated. Any other result would put a damper on what ought to be the merriest of Christmas holidays, considering what has been achieved this year.

During the lunch, Cerezo took the floor and paid tribute to this success, while also looking to the future, with a Copa del Rey tie against Real Madrid in January and the Champions League double-header against Bayer Leverkusen looming on the horizon.