Diego Simeone insisted he "fully believes" Atletico Madrid can secure Champions League qualification as he seeks solutions following disappointment against Levante.
The reigning LaLiga champions are 15 points off local rivals and leaders Real Madrid after 24 games, sitting fifth in the league and level on points with fourth-placed Barcelona, who have played a game fewer.
Simeone's side suffered another setback in their last outing, falling to a 1-0 defeat against bottom side Levante, as their top-four push for Champions League football next season was dented again.
However, Atletico have won their past seven top-flight meetings with their next opponents Osasuna and Simeone believes his side can escape their underwhelming run of form on Saturday.
"It's normal after the painful defeat, but with a desire to have a new opportunity and to focus on the game against Osasuna, who play really well and are going through a good moment," Simeone told reporters at Friday's pre-match news conference when asked about the squad's morale.
"I have the motivation to live on every day. I'm at a great club, where I want to be, and I look at the future trying to solve the present.
"There isn't one circumstance [behind our problems], but several, and I believe blindly in the players that I have. I'm sure they'll pull this off.
"We're now facing a 14-game league in which there will be seven teams who will have the chance to get into the Champions League, and being all together, looking for ways out of difficult moments like we had in the pandemic, when we had one point more than we do today, [and] we were sixth and finished third.
"We'll have to make a great effort for this, but we're focusing on the present."
Atletico have won on each of their past three LaLiga visits to El Sadar and are looking for four consecutive top-flight wins at Osasuna in the competition for the first time.
However, Simeone's team have failed to win in any of their most recent five away league games, conceding at least twice in each of those matches (12 in total).
But Simeone insisted he has the backing of Atletico chiefs Miguel Angel Gil Marin and Andrea Berta after meeting with the pair to discuss the club's problems.
"We get together no more than one or two days a month, and we talk about the good or bad situations," Simeone added on his discussions with Atleti’s executives.
"It's a bad moment, but we have to take things forward, being together."
Sheffield United v Burnley: Kompany wants fearless approach
Vincent Kompany knows his team need to take more risks as Burnley prepare for another huge game in the fight for Premier League safety when they face fellow strugglers Sheffield United.
Burnley dropped two points in a 1-1 draw with Brighton at Turf Moor last weekend, as Arijanet Muric's own goal denied them a win that would have inched them closer to safety.
While Luton Town and Everton both suffered defeats, Nottingham Forest's draw means that Burnley sit six points from safety, though they are four points better off than the Blades ahead of Saturday's game.
Asked about the approach his side will take against another team in the relegation zone, Kompany said: "Sheffield is another different game for us, it has a bit of a cup final feeling to it as well. We know we have to go there, attack the game, and show no fear.
"Going there on Saturday, we have nothing to lose. We approach it with no fear, we have to show our strengths and go there to play our hearts out and run our socks off. We're playing to be in the Premier League and that's our goal."
United head into Saturday's match with their survival hopes having been further diminished by a 2-0 defeat to Brentford.
After failing to win any of their last eight games, Chris Wilder explained how his side has struggled to cope with the demands of the Premier League.
"Like us, they've [Burnley] found results difficult to come by, and they've taken the beatings when they've had to – as have we," Wilder said.
"They've picked up points recently. We’ve not picked up enough points that I believe our performances have deserved. We need to marry up decent performances with a big result. That's what we’re there to try and get.
"Both teams are after three points, I think we all realise where we are with that. We're in it to win it, and so will they be."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Sheffield United – Oli McBurnie
McBurnie has been involved in eight goals in his last eight Premier League home games, scoring six and assisting twice. The only game in this run in which he has not registered a goal or assist was in the Blades' 6-0 defeat to Arsenal last month.
Burnley – Josh Brownhill
Brownhill has been directly involved in two goals in his last three Premier League appearances (one goal, one assist), as many as he managed in his 16 before that, with his goal last week opening the scoring.
MATCH PREDICTION: DRAW
United have lost just one of their last 20 home league games against Burnley (W14 D5), going down 3-2 in December 2008. They have won both of their Premier League games against the Clarets at Bramall Lane.
However, only one of the five Premier League games between two newly promoted teams this season have been won by the home team (D1 L3), though that occurred in the reverse fixture between Burnley and United back in December (5-0).
Since a 1-0 win against Brentford, the Blades are winless in seven home league games (D3 L4), conceding at least twice in each match. Only twice has a team conceded 2+ goals in eight consecutive Premier League home games – Wolves in 2011-12 (11) and Norwich in 2019 (nine).
United have also conceded 84 goals in their 32 Premier League games this season; it is the most at this stage ever in a Premier League campaign, and the most the Blades have conceded overall in a league campaign since 1954-55 (86 in 42 games).
Burnley, meanwhile, have dropped 24 points from winning positions in the Premier League this season, with only Brentford (30) losing more.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Sheffield United – 31.4%
Burnley – 38.8%
Draw – 29.8%
Jess Park enjoying ‘incredible’ spell with title-chasing Manchester City
Jess Park admits it has been an “incredible” last few weeks having seized the opportunity she was waiting for.
With Jill Roord sidelined after sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament injury in January, Park, on loan at Everton last term, came into the Manchester City midfield for her first Women’s Super League start this season when champions Chelsea visited the Joie Stadium in February.
The 22-year-old promptly set up the early Khadija Shaw finish that proved the only goal in that contest and has since scored three times and provided three assists across four further WSL victories for title-chasing City last month, including a 3-1 Etihad Stadium triumph over Manchester United in which she notched a brace and teed up Shaw once again.
Park, the Barclays Player of the Month for March, also earlier this month returned to the England starting line-up for the first time in more than a year.
“It’s been incredible,” she told the PA news agency.
“It’s kind of hard to put it into words and I still think I’m reflecting on it but trying to look forward as well. We’re in an important position so I need to keep looking at the next game, but I am very happy with how it’s gone.
“I’ve been working really hard since being back from Everton (for whom she registered five goals and five assists in 22 appearances). I feel like I got a lot of confidence from last season and I’ve just been waiting for that moment to make an impact and it came and I’ve been able to keep that going.”
Park, whose City debut came aged 16 back in 2017, added: “Last year to start in games against every team, it was experience I needed.
“I’d trained really hard for however many years with City and I just needed that exposure to the playing time, and I think that really helped me coming back this season, knowing that when I get that opportunity I’m ready to play.
“I always had that drive to play and you think ‘is it going to come’, but I think I’m a patient person and I’ll work hard no matter what.
“We (Park and City boss Gareth Taylor) have a lot of conversations, what I can work on, get better at, and putting the little pieces together, and that gave me a lot of trust in him, and it felt like he trusted me.
“So I always felt like it would come at some point, I just needed to keep being patient and doing the things he’s telling me to.”
Brough-born Park – who says her current central role “feels a lot more natural” having played it growing up before being utilised on the wing – was a City fan as a child.
And she described the recent derby as an “incredible moment” adding: “I’d never played at the Etihad before so I was really looking forward to it, really excited and nervous – but as soon as the whistle went, I knew what I was doing and we knew as a team.
“We all played fantastic. I’d been working so hard at the end product bit and it just kind of all came together in that game.”
Of her watching parents, she said: “They were really proud, they always believe in me and were just happy I got the moment to show other people what they’ve seen in me the whole time.”
Park has emerged as a key player in a City side who have won each of their last 12 WSL games and are behind leaders Chelsea on goal difference ahead of Sunday’s home clash with West Ham, one of four remaining games.
“As a team we’re just all really focused on what we want to do,” Park said.
“We have the goal and all we can do is control what we can and we’ll work hard at that every game, step by step. As long as we keep doing what we do well, anything could happen.”
Football rumours: Arsenal keen on signing Alexander Isak and Michael Olise
The Guardian reports that Arsenal are considering bringing in a striker and winger this summer, with Newcastle forward Alexander Isak and Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise among their targets.
Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann has managerial options outside of Bayern Munich and will make a decision in the next week or so, his agent says via the Metro.
Ex-Liverpool and Everton boss Rafael Benitez will take over as manager at Sao Paulo, less than month after he was sacked by Celta Vigo, claims The Sun.
Chelsea are preparing for offers from Liverpool and Ligue 1 outfit Paris St Germain for England international defender Levi Colwill.
Social media round-upPlayers to watchBenjamin Sesko: Chelsea and Manchester United are monitoring the RB Leipzig forward, who has a 50 million euro (£42.8 million) release clause, says Ben Jacobs.
Serge Gnabry: Tottenham are interested in the former Arsenal forward, with Bayern Munich willing to sell the Germany international, reports Football Insider.
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