Diego Costa expects Sergio Ramos battle

Atletico Madrid forward Diego Costa has insisted that he is prepared to battle Real Madrid's Sergio Ramos in the upcoming Madrid derby.

The capital pair meet at the Calderon in La Liga on Sunday with Real currently three points clear at the top of the league table.

Costa and Ramos clashed several times during the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final earlier this month, and the 25-year-old has claimed that he is ready for another heated encounter.

"I'm no saint in the matches, but against Madrid you saw that I wasn't looking for a fight at any time," he told Marca.

"I fought and tussled with Ramos. If I have to hit him, I'll hit him. If he has to hit me, he'll hit me, but always in a loyal way, always within the bounds of the game."

The two players are expected to be teammates at the World Cup with Spain this summer.