Simeone's men will welcome Valencia to Madrid on Sunday, with the two sides separated by just one point in the La Liga table and potential Champions League qualification on the line.
Atletico sit third in Spain's top flight - a position that would secure a spot in next season's Champions League group stage - while fourth position would see Valencia enter the qualifying rounds of Europe's leading club competition.
"It's clear it is not a normal match for both of us because it's a fight between two great rivals for the Champions League places," the Argentinian coach said at a media conference.
"It's not a regular Liga match, we will need to take control if we are to claim the victory."
Simeone was unable to avoid all cliches, however, as he refused to talk about the likelihood of his team defending their Liga title.
"Our target is going match by match trying to win and performing well," he said.
"The club's target is finishing third or fourth."
A win on Sunday would see Atletico move within four points of leaders Real Madrid, who lost 1-0 at Athletic Bilbao on Saturday, while second-placed Barcelona could claim top spot with victory over Rayo Vallecano.
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