Atletico Madrid head coach Diego Simeone concedes that a third place finish is the best the La Liga champions can hope for this season after losing yet more ground at the top after a 1-1 draw with Valencia on Sunday . Beating Real Madrid and Barcelona to the Spanish title last term , as well as reaching the final of the Champions League , were remarkable achievements but it appears Atletico will fall some way short of matching the Spanish giants this season . The draw at home to fourth-placed Valencia means Simeone 's men have won only one of their last four La Liga outings and are now seven points adrift of leaders Barca and six behind second-placed Real with 12 games left . Koke 's fierce low strike was too much for Valencia goalkeeper Diego Alves to save . But Shkodran Mustafi ( second right ) headed in Valencia 's equaliser in the 78th minute . Atletico manager Diego Simeone admits the limit of his side 's ambition this season is to finish third . A resurgent Valencia are breathing down Atletico 's necks a point behind in fourth and Simeone said he and the players are determined to hang on to third and secure a place in Europe 's elite club competition for next season . Sevilla , who held Atletico to a 0-0 draw at their Sanchez Pizjuan stadium at the start of the month and are five points behind Valencia in fifth , are also still in with a chance of a Champions League berth . 'The league is long and we have always said that our championship is competing against Valencia and Sevilla , ' Simeone told a news conference after the stalemate at the Calderon . Koke leads the celebrations after putting Atletico into a first-half lead . Koke is mobbed by his team-mates after his goal had put Atletico ahead against rivals Valencia . 'Neither could beat us in these last two matches and we still have the one-point advantage that we need to protect , ' added the former Argentina captain . 'Reinventing ourselves the way we have and competing the way we are competing is a great achievement for the players . 'Hopefully when the season ends we will have secured that third spot . ' Atletico were unfortunate not to take all three points on Sunday after Valencia rode their luck to steal a late equaliser that cancelled out Koke 's first-half strike . Mustafi celebrates his header with Rodrigo Moreno in the draw at the Vicente Calderon . Mustafi 's goal leaves Spanish champions Atletico are seven points adrift of leaders Barcelona . A Dani Parejo free kick ricocheted off the Atletico crossbar and centre back Shkodran Mustafi reacted quickest to nod home . Atletico have a trip to Espanyol in La Liga on Saturday before they host Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League last 16 , second leg on March 17 . The Bundesliga side won last month 's first leg in Germany 1-0 .
Atletico Madrid were held to a 1-1 draw by Valencia at home on Sunday . Diego Simeone 's side fell seven points behind table-toppers Barcelona . The Spanish admits that third is the best his team can hope for . CLICK HERE for the La Liga table Â .