Heartbreak team Atletico Madrid (27-6-4, 85 points) slid out of the 2015-2016 La Liga season title race after their highly disappointing loss in the previous matchday. They now face another contending squad, Celta de Vigo (17-11-9, 60 points), at the Vicente Calderón Stadium on Saturday, May 14th for their final game this season.
Atletico Madrid has been tied on points with league leaders and defending champions FC Barcelona for four weeks, even as they are at second place because of their inferior goal difference. Their fans are wishing that Diego Simeone's boys could hold on to the tie until Barça fails to win so that the capital city squad can get back the title they won in 2013-2014.
However, it was Los Colchoneros who blinked first in their month-long race as they dropped a sorry 1-2 game to relegated team Levante UD at the Estadi Ciutat de València last Sunday, as reported by SkySports.
On loan striker Fernando Torres scored the first goal of the match for Atleti right at the second minute to give his team the early upperhand. It took Les Granotes half an hour of play to level the count as forward Victor Casadesus headed one from center box at the 30th.
The two teams then went goal-silent for most of the match until Italian striker Giuseppe Rossi broke the deadlock right at the stroke of fulltime to hand Simeone and company a heartbreak that they cannot easily forget.
Meanwhile, Celta Vigo nipped contending club Malaga CF, 1-0, at their home ground of Estadio Municipal de Balaídos also last Sunday, as per ESPN.
Spanish winger Nolito provided the lone goal of the match for head coach Eduardo Berizzo's side at the 31st minute to pull off their fifth unbeaten performance in their last six matches.
Os Célticos is now at the fifth spot of the league table and is holding a direct Europa League group stage qualifying berth.
A loss to Atleti coupled with an Athletic Bilbao win over Sevilla in the finale means that they will surrender the direct group stage slot and settle for a Europa League third qualifying round appearance instead.
The predicted result is a tough 1-0 decision for Atletico Madrid.
Atletico Madrid starting lineup (4-4-2 formation): Oblak; Juanfran, Gimenez, Savic, Luis; Koke, Gabi, Fernandez, Niguez; Correa, Torres
Celta Vigo starting lineup (4-2-3-1 formation): Blanco; Jonny, Mallo, Gomez, Planas; Wass, Diaz; Orellana, Hernandez, Nolito; Aspas