After Barca came from two goals down to earn a 2-2 draw with Valencia, Atletico had the chance to close the gap to three points with victory in Seville.

However, it was unable to leave the Benito Villamarin with anything after Sergio Canales converted a second-half penalty to seal a 1-0 home win.

It leaves Atletico six adrift of Barca with 16 games remaining but manager Simeone is confident his side can still catch the league-leader.

"I'm always optimistic, I'm grateful that Barca drew and are not too far away," he said. "Barca stays within a good range so we are going to continue to work."

The loss saw Alvaro Morata make his Atletico debut after returning to Spain from Chelsea, but the striker only got one of his four chances on target across 90 minutes.

Despite the disappointing display, Simeone was happy with his new addition and hopes the goals will come once he settles into life with the Rojiblancos.

"Morata came in and worked well, he was very excited to play, we hope he can continue to grow within this team," Simeone said.