Courtois calls for Real focus in La Liga title race

Madrid - If Atletico fail to win one of their next two matches, and Real win both, they will be crowned champions

Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois called on his teammates to keep their focus as the La Liga title race heads for a dramatic finish.

Real moved to within two points of La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid following a comprehensive 4-1 win over Granada on Thursday, with two games remaining.

If Atletico fail to win one of their next two matches, and Real win both, they will be crowned champions, and Belgian Courtois issued a rallying cry ahead of the penultimate weekend of the season.

“We need to keep putting the pressure on Atleti, and show them we’re right on their heels and that they’ve got no margin for error,” Courtois said.

“Atleti feel strong, but we just need to focus on ourselves. We face Athletic Bilbao (on Sunday) which is a tough game and we’ll see how everything is after that.”

Despite the comfortable win over Granada, Courtois was critical of a few lapses in concentration.

“In the second half we weren’t as good,” he said. “They had a chance before making it 2-1, and we missed a number of chances too.

“We were able to find the 3-1 goal well, but then at 4-1 I had to make three saves and that can’t be happening. We can’t relax at all.

“There’s little time for recovery and we have to give our absolute all for this.”

Real visit Athletic Bilbao on Sunday while Atleti host Osasuna with both games kicking off at the same time