The Real nightmare begins at Atletico: Alvarez lights a fire under Mourinho's feet

The summit now permits nothing but victory

Atletico Madrid piled the pressure on rivals Real Madrid, grinding out a precious 1-0 win over Deportivo La Coruna on Saturday evening in La Liga. The victory tightened their grip on second place and stretched the gap to the Royal club to four points, albeit temporarily, ahead of tomorrow's eagerly awaited Clasico.

Julian Alvarez settled it in the 48th minute. The Argentine met a pinpoint delivery from Alejandro Grimaldo at the far post, handing Diego Simeone's men three vital points in the race for the top places.

Alvarez is flying. He netted in midweek against Stuttgart in the Champions League too, underlining his attacking value at a crucial stage of the campaign. Atletico had laboured through the first half before finally settling the contest early in the second.

Real Madrid now feel the heat ahead of the Clasico. The Royal club must get a positive result to stop the gap with their neighbours growing, and a defeat against Barcelona would leave them in real bother, potentially slipping further back in the title race.

For Real Madrid, the fixture carries double the weight. They cannot afford to let their rivals pull clear. Barcelona, meanwhile, go into the match eager to use home advantage and a win to tighten their hold on the summit.