La Liga: Athletico and Sevilla battles for third

 The fight for third place has intensified in the Spanish league, with Atletico Madrid and Sevilla looking to secure the final automatic spot for next season's Champions League.

Both teams have 68 points with four games left. Atletico is ahead on the head-to-head tiebreaker, but its attention is split between the league and the semifinals of the Champions League.

The Spanish league title will likely go to either Barcelona or Real Madrid, which both have 78 points at the top.

The top three teams automatically qualify for the Champions League, while the fourth-place club has to go through a playoff.

Sevilla appeared to have third place secured until not long ago, being as many as nine points in front of Atletico. But it endured a run of five winless games, including a 3-1 loss to Atletico at the Vicente Calderon Stadium.

Atletico won seven of eight matches to move past Sevilla, and it had been carrying a three-point lead in the last few rounds until a disappointing 1-0 home loss to Villarreal on Tuesday.

Sevilla capitalized by beating Celta Vigo 2-1 at home on Thursday, leaving the teams even again entering the final rounds.

"We knew this was a crucial game in the fight for third place," Sevilla coach Jorge Sampaoli said. "We caught up to them again and we are already focused on what we need to do on Monday."

Sevilla plays at Malaga on Monday, while Atletico visits Las Palmas on Saturday.

Atletico, the third force in Spanish soccer behind Real Madrid and Barcelona, won't be able to fully focus on the fight for third because it is also playing in the Champions League. The first leg of the semifinals against city rival Madrid is next week at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. Atletico is trying to win the European competition for the first time. It lost the 2014 and 2016 finals to Madrid.

"Our goal won't change and we will keep defending this third position," Atletico captain Gabi Fernandez said. "We will be fighting until the end in these last four matches. We will remain motivated to achieve this goal."

Atletico won the Spanish league title in 2014 and finished third in 2013, 2015 and 2016.

Sevilla hasn't finished the league as high as third since 2009.

"We are excited about our chances to finish third this season," said Sevilla midfielder Joaquin Correa, who scored of the team's goals on Thursday. "We have a group prepared to do it."