'Spanish Liverpool' the talk of Madrid

There may be no homecoming for Fernando Torres at Club Atlético de Madrid on Wednesday but the arrival of Rafael Benítez and his "Spanish Liverpool" for the UEFA Champions League encounter has the city buzzing with excitement.

'Alarm bells'
Javier Aguirre and Benítez have guided their teams into commanding positions in Group D, both with maximum points from two matches, but there the similarities end. While Liverpool FC go into the game relaxed and confident after keeping pace with Premier League leaders Chelsea FC following Saturday's 3-2 win against Wigan Athletic FC, Atlético are feeling the heat of a third successive Liga defeat, this one against arch-rivals Real Madrid CF.

'Good spirits'
"At any club in any league in the world, losing three consecutive league games would cause alarm bells to ring and speculation to begin," Aguirre said. "We're used to this. The team remain in good spirits. The Champions League is a different competition and we want to continue doing well in it. Maybe we're more concentrated in the Champions League as we haven't played in this competition for a long time. In our domestic league, maybe we feel we know our opponents too well."

Injury concerns
Aguirre has shrugged off speculation about his future, saying he "feels as strong as ever" as he prepares to make changes to the side that lost to a 96th-minute Real Madrid penalty on Saturday. Unfortunately for the Mexican, livewire striker Sergio Agüero, who has three Group D goals already, will not start because of "muscular pains caused by tiredness", despite training on Tuesday. His place is likely to be taken by former Liverpool forward Florent Sinama Pongolle. Pablo Ibáñez is back to full fitness, but Grégory Coupet, Tomáš Ujfaluši and Maxi Rodríguez are all out with thigh problems.

Torres out
Benítez has injury troubles too, not least affecting Atlético old boy Torres who has remained in England to recover from a hamstring problem. "I spoke with the [club] doctor and we agreed that because we have so many important games coming up, it would be better for him to stay in Liverpool," Benítez said. As well as Torres, Liverpool will be missing centre-back Martin Škrtel (knee) and full-back Philipp Degen (ribs), yet Fábio Aurélio has overcome his calf complaint.

Benítez homecoming
Torres may be unable to revisit the stadium he graced for seven seasons before joining Liverpool two summers ago, but Benítez is enjoying a homecoming of his own. The 48-year-old – who jokingly asked reporters to "please forgive my Spanish" – was born in Madrid and began his playing and coaching careers at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. "Until I went to Liverpool, Madrid was always my city, it's my home town," he said, adding: "I've always had a high opinion of Atlético, my father was an Atlético supporter." Benítez, though, will not let the setting get in the way of the purpose of the trip. "We want to win for our fans," he said. "Getting three points here is all I'm worried about, but if Atlético are playing well and their supporters are right behind them, they will be difficult to beat."