Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone has confirmed that returning hero Fernando Torres will start Wednesday's Copa del Rey last-16 first leg at home to Real Madrid.
Torres, 30, has returned to Atletico after seven and a half up-and-down years at Liverpool, Chelsea and Milan, and was welcomed back by 40,000 Rojiblanco fans in a joyful presentation at the Vicente Calderon on Sunday.
During his first spell at the club "El Nino" never managed to beat city rivals Madrid, while it took him nine derbis for the otherwise free-scoring young centre-forward to even find the net.
However it now looks like he will get an immediate chance to improve on that record with the Colchoneros boss telling his pre-game news conference that Torres was fit to start and his style of play offered the team extra possibilities.
"Torres has come from training with Milan," Simeone said. "He has already played 10 league games there. He has been training with us for some days, and tomorrow he will start the game. If I did not seem him strong, able to break opposition defences, I would not count on him. He has different characteristics to the others in our group, and will strengthen our attack."
Simeone, who played two seasons in the Atletico team together with Torres in the early 2000s, admitted there was emotion involved in his former teammates return, but added that this current side was now competing to win every competition they entered.
"I have great memories of him when he was young, we got on well when I was here with him," he said. "In Atletico now there are players with a feeling of belonging. He is arriving at one of the best Atletico sides in history. The 45,000 fans the other day was emotional. We feel we can compete for everything. For La Liga, the Champions League, for the Copa. For everything."
Although beaten in extra-time by Madrid in last season's Champions League final, Atletico have lost after 90 minutes in just two of their last nine derbis -- both Copa del Rey semifinal legs last season, when Simeone rotated his side and got beaten 5-0 on aggregate.
Simeone as usual refused to talk up his side's chances, while praising opposite number Carlo Ancelotti and saying Madrid's 2-1 defeat in La Liga at Valencia last weekend was likely only a blip.
"They are an enormous opponent with a great coach," he said. "They had been many games unbeaten. They are a team with a lot of talent, but we want to try and take the game to a place we like. We will try and play a great game. Not with words, but with actions."
Simeone also said that Slovenian back-up goalkeeper Jan Oblak would also start the game, despite not impressing during his previous performances since joining from Benfica for 16 million euros last summer.
With Atletico already having brought in Torres in a swap-deal with Milan for unwanted attacker Alessio Cerci, Simeone did not rule out further movement during the current transfer window.
"I would not close the door on anything," he said. "This is football and it changes a lot. [Sporting directors Jose Luis] Caminero and [Andrea] Berta and their team are working to have the best options to compete."