Diego Simeone has urged his Atletico Madrid players to embrace the pressure of their situation as they head into a momentous period in the club’s history.

Having claimed their last Spanish league title in 1996 and never previously won the Champions League or European Cup, Atletico have the opportunity to secure a historic double over the course of the next three weeks.

Simeone’s team need just four points from their remaining two games in La Liga to secure the title, with the season finale at Barcelona taking place a week before a Champions League final against Real Madrid in Lisbon.

And after his usually fearless players showed rare signs of stage fright in Sunday’s potentially costly 2-0 defeat at mid-table Levante, Simeone urged them to rediscover their composure ahead of this weekend’s home clash with Malaga.

“We’ve got 20 fantastic days left,full of passion, emotion and adrenalin,” said the Argentine. “They will be three emotional weeks but we have to live them with calmness and hard work. We like the feeling of vertigo and we have to enjoy it. You always have to believe – and we believe.”

Simeone also challenged his team not to be affected by pressure, adding: “It’s a responsibility of what we are doing. We won’t experience these weeks feeling pressure – we will confront them as a moment in which we have to respond.”

Throughout the season, the Atletico boss has consistently refused to look ahead and contemplate the achievements which could be within his team’s reach, preferring instead to adopt a “game by game” mantra.

And even though his team’s next game – Sunday’s meeting with Malaga – could result in the title being secured if Barcelona and Real Madrid both drop points, Simeone certainly isn’t considering a change to his mentality now.

He said: “It’s true that we could finish up champions, but we’re just concentrating on our play. Going from game to game is our reality, and it has taken us closer to our objective. The facts speak for themselves.”