Barcelona coach Hansi Flick says Atlético Madrid are the best team in Spain at the moment as LaLiga's top two prepare to meet at the Olympic Stadium on Saturday (stream LIVE at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN+ in the U.S.).
Barça were 10 points clear of Atlético at the start of November, but a run of just one win in six games, coupled with Atlético winning six in a row in the league, means they go into this weekend's game tied at the top of the table.
Despite that, Flick refused to allude to the meeting as a "final" and said he would have taken being in this position at the start of the season.
"At the moment Atlético are the best team, you have top say that," Flick said in a news conference on Friday. "They have 11 wins in a row [in all competitions]. It will be a tough match, a good match and we are looking forward to it.
"[But] it's not a final. When we start the project, if someone says: 'When you are on Dec. 20 you are first in LaLiga and second in the Champions League,' we say: 'OK, we take it OK.'
"We lost some points and this was tough, the last matches against Leganés, Las Palmas at home, of course you have to win against these opponents. But respect for them, they also deserved it because they did better.
"Atlético is another match, another day. We have a good team, a young team, but we also have to improve. We fight until the end of the season. We want to reach big things this season, but I know and the team knows that it's not easy."
Barça's recent dip in form in LaLiga contrasts with their superb start. They won 11 of their first 12 games, picking up 33 points from a possible 36, but have picked up just five points from a possible 18 since.
That has allowed Atlético and Real Madrid to both cut the gap on them. Atlético are now level and Madrid are just a point back, while both teams have a game in hand as well.
Flick says there is an understanding from supporters that there would be ups and downs following a summer which saw experienced players leave and little activity in the transfer market.
"What I can feel here in the city, from the fans, they know about the team," he added. "We lost five experienced players. Dani Olmo arrived and also Pau Víctor. The only signings. The others are from La Masia.
"The team is doing really good, they improve a lot and are 100% focused on what we want. We are not happy with the situation, OK, but we have to fight. We want to win titles."
Injury problems are easing for Barça. They will be without Lamine Yamal against Atlético due to an ankle problem, but Ansu Fati is available again, with long-term absentees Marc-André ter Stegen, Andreas Christensen and Marc Bernal the only others missing.
Saturday's game against Atlético marks their final game of 2024, with the Spanish league stopping for a winter break until the new year after this weekend's fixtures.