Ramos: We'll chase Barca till the end

Early season defeats against Sevilla and Getafe have left Los Blancos playing catch-up, although a 5-0 victory at Real Mallorca last weekend indicated Jose Mourinho's men are getting back to top form.

"The win against Mallorca was important," Ramos said. "It's a tough place for us to go and get a result. We're up there and will keep on fighting.

The triumph at the ONO Estadi leaves Madrid in fourth place but the club is in no mood to give up the title to its bitter rivals.

"We are motivated by the challenge to catch up with Barcelona," Ramos added.

"We're going to fight for the league title right to the end and we expect to be in with a shout.

"Right now there are two teams on top of their game, Barcelona and Atlético de Madrid, but if we keep winning our games we'll put them under a lot of pressure."