Diego Simeone is rallying his Atletico Madrid team to seize the La Liga title initiative in 2025.

Los Rojiblancos start 2025 as league leaders following their incredible 2-1 win away at Barcelona.

As the hosts continue to struggle, Alexander Sorloth came off the bench to net a 96th minute winner, and stretch Atletico Madrid’s winning run to 12 games.

Sortloth was the hero, but Simeone believes the tide could be turning, as he aims for a third league title, after half the campaign now played.

“I’m happy, I can’t lie. We suffered. Barca played very well, they attack all the time. Today we had a great night defensively, Oblak in particular. That allowed us to survive,” as per reports from Mark.

“The players are ready to compete. The strongest thing we have is the group.

“We need everyone ready to compete. That’s our way of fighting with two monsters like Real Madrid and Barcelona.”

Atletico Madrid have a less demanding January than their rivals, with no involvement in the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia, and they return from the winter break with a Copa del Rey clash at Marbella on January 4.

They are back in league action at home to Osasuna on January 12 with two UEFA Champions League games also on the schedule.