A day after Club Atlético de Madrid's 4-0 win over FC Schalke 04 secured Los Rojiblancos a place in the UEFA Champions League group stages after an eleven-year absence from the competition, Spanish daily El Pais ran the headline "Atlético return to paradise". For coach Javier Aguirre, the triumph represented the fulfilment of a long held ambition.

Past masters
The 49-year-old Mexican later admitted that reaching European club football's élite tournament represented a huge weight off his shoulders and when the draw threw his team in with former winners of the trophy Liverpool FC, Olympique de Marseille and the team against they open their campaign on 16 September, PSV Eindhoven, Aguirre reacted with determination. "We are a team that can play well at home or away and we will fight," he told uefa.com. "It's a very tough group and I think the team with the most experience and the favourites are Liverpool. The other three sides have a good competitive chance against each other. Our goal is to win and collect as many points as possible. I think success for us would be to pass this group stage."

Dream realised
Aguirre could have had a crack at the European Champion Clubs' Cup in 2006/07 had the offer to take the vacant post at Atlético not come along. The previous season the former Mexico coach had led CA Osasuna to an impressive fourth-place finish in the Primera División which guaranteed the team from Pamplona a qualifying spot in the UEFA Champions League. In his third season at the Vicente Calderón, Aguirre is now ready for the challenge. "It means everything to me," he said. "I've been working in Europe for seven years and now I'm able to coach in the UEFA Champions League. Having reached this level means a lot to me and to a club like Atlético Madrid with their reputation and history."

Experienced squad
It is almost like a new beginning down by the river Manzanares on the banks of which sits Atlético's emblematic stadium. A recently built squad being guided by a hungry manager has raised the excitement levels of the club's supporters who are refusing to listen to those who say inexperience will be their downfall. "The club hasn't played in this competition over the last eleven years, but on the other hand we have players who have played in the Champions League and won it [Maniche at FC Porto and Luis García at Liverpool]. We also have some players who have gained experience in the UEFA Cup and even played in [FIFA] World Cups, myself included. We have great individual players with successful CVs so we will definitely be able to compete as a team."

Torres return
The UEFA Champions League draw has ensured the return of one of European football's biggest talents, Liverpool FC's Fernando Torres, to the club that formed him. Torres's former manager, while guaranteeing the striker a warm welcome off the pitch, warned he would not be made to feel as welcome on it. "I know Fernando very well and he will of course try to play his best football and we will try to stop him and his characteristic game while he is wearing the other team's shirt. We will sit together and talk before and after the match. He is originally from here, it's his home."