Diego Simeone firmly believes Atletico Madrid can still chase down Barcelona in La Liga this season despite trailing the leaders by 10 points.

Atletico overcame Deportivo Alaves 4-0 on Saturday after the champions saw off Espanyol 2-0.

And with nine games to go, including a showdown with Barcelona, Simeone has pledged not to give up the fight.

Diego Simeone watched his side beat Deportivo Alaves 4-0 away from home on Saturday

'We can't lose sight of the fact that, at any point in La Liga, competing is in our nature.

'And we want to compete for La Liga until our last breath,' he said.

Having suffered defeats by Juventus in the Champions League and Athletic Bilbao in La Liga, Atletico badly needed the points.

They dispatched Alaves with goals from Saul Niguez, Diego Costa, Alvaro Morata and Thomas Partey.

Saul Niguez was among the scorers as Atletico cut the gap back down to 10 points

'What was most pleasing was they understood where we could hurt the opposition the most,' Simeone added.

'We aim to harm the opposition and not take long to create dangerous passes. We had to play quickly.

'In principle, the players needed a game like that, at a stadium where the opponents compete well. The conviction and the way we won makes us very happy.'

Barcelona are still heavy favourites to retain their title but victory for Simeone's side at the Nou Camp on April 6 could keep the season alive.