Atletico Madrid have moved four points clear of third-placed Real Madrid in La Liga courtesy of a 1-0 win over struggling Deportivo La Coruna at the Wanda Metropolitano on Sunday night.
Atletico will visit Real Madrid in Spain's top flight next weekend, and they will stay second regardless of what happens in that match following their one-goal success in the Spanish capital.
Diego Simeone's side have cut the gap on league leaders Barcelona to nine points, while Deportivo remain in 19th position in the table - eight points from the safety of 17th position.
The headline team news for Atletico was the absence of both Diego Costa and Antoine Griezmann from their starting XI. The former was left on the bench, while the latter missed out altogether through suspension.
As a result, there were starts for Angel Correa and Kevin Gameiro in the final third, while 19-year-old Carlos Isaac made his first-team debut for the club at right-back.
As for Deportivo, head coach Clarence Seedorf made two changes to the team that started the 1-1 draw with Las Palmas before the international break.
One of those alterations came at left-back as Luisinho replaced Fernando Navarro, while Pedro Mosquera took the place of Florin Andone, which meant a change in formation.
The game's first half-chance came for Atletico in the 10th minute when Koke found some space outside the Deportivo box before striking towards goal, but his effort was always moving away from the post.
Deportivo had a golden opportunity to take the lead in the 20th minute when Lucas Perez was released inside the Atletico box, but the on-loan Arsenal forward could not find a route past Jan Oblak.
Correa then brought a decent stop from Ruben, before Perez again tested Oblak with a header as chances continued to arrive at both ends of the field.
It was Atletico that made the breakthrough in the 34th minute, however, when Gameiro found the top corner from the penalty spot after Saul Niguez had been tugged to the ground by Mosquera inside the Deportivo box.
The visitors should have levelled in the latter stages of the first half when a corner from the left found Mosquera unmarked at the far post, but the 29-year-old somehow missed the target.
A low-key start to the second period saw both teams struggle to find that final pass, with a wild Thomas Partey attempt just about the closest either came to adding to Gameiro's penalty before the hour mark.
Costa came off the Atletico bench in the 64th minute and had an opportunity shortly after, but the Spain international bent his effort wide of the Deportivo post from an advanced position.
The visitors then had a brilliant chance to level shortly after when Borja Valle raced into the Atletico box, but Lucas Hernandez came from nowhere at the final moment to produce an incredible last-ditch challenge.
Zakaria Bakkali then came close for Seedorf's side 10 minutes from time when his strike from a narrow angle hit the side-netting. Andone was Deportivo's final throw of the dice in the 82nd minute, but Atletico closed out the final stages with relative ease to record their 20th La Liga victory of the 2017-18 campaign.
ATLETICO MADRID (4-4-2): Oblak; Isaac (Costa 64'), Savic, Godin, Lucas; Saul, Thomas (Moya 88'), Gabi, Koke; Gameiro (Torres 72'), Correa
DEPORTIVO LA CORUNA (4-4-1-1): Ruben; Juanfran, Albentosa, Sidnei, Luisinho; Guilherme, Muntari (Valle 63'), Mosquera, Colak (Bakkali 77'); Adrian (Andone 82'); Perez
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