A CLUB developing a taste for success both home and abroad with a new-found harmony under a charismatic coach inspiring a squad of hungry players to fight to the end for each other.
Diego Simeone will be hoping to lead his team to the Champions League final this year[GETTY]For Atletico Madrid 2014, read Chelsea 2004.
Jose Mourinho took just one year to end 50 of disappointment as he claimed the Premier League title for Chelsea within 12 months of his arrival, and they set up camp at the European summit.
It has been nearly 20 years since Atletico Madrid last made a genuine challenge for the Spanish title, and 40 since they tasted European triumph.
And if you were forced, under the threat of being confined to a desert island with Rui Faria as your only companion, to pick the single most important factor in Atletico's rise, then even ahead of Diego Costa, Koke and Thibaut Courtois, it would have to be Diego Simeone.
Not only were the Rojiblancos more concerned with Primera Division survival than trophy winning when their saviour appeared at Christmas 2012, their subsequent ascent is indelibly stamped with his personality, rigour, aggression, intelligence and intensity.
Think of this. He bears the identical ability to inspire utter obedience and loyalty which is the hallmark of Mourinho, and has forged a harmonious relationship with the club's president, just as Mourinho has with Roman Abramovich.
Chelsea will have to contain the likes of Diego Costa if they want to win at home [GETTY]Courage, ambition and talent are the qualities I look for in a player
Yet there is eccentricity too. The reliance of former France coach Raymond Domenech on the Zodiac may have been ridiculed, but no one mocks this Argentinian streetfighter for his equally firm dependence on the alignment of planets.
"I take horoscopes very seriously," he has said. "Sagittarians need a lot of affection, but if you're born under Scorpio you respond better to a bit of tough love. My star sign is Taurus; we can be a bit difficult to deal with. We'll give you our heart and soul but only if you treat us well. If you try to force us to do something against our will, watch out..."
A warning to Chelsea?
To get a handle on this ferocious competitor you have to accept he has a slightly unnerving animal intelligence and sixth sense - events seem to happen just as he dictates.
"I like to anticipate what's going to happen before it happens," he says. "While I was working in Argentina I knew that Atleti would call me one day when things were going badly.
"I wanted all of this. I was waiting for it. Ready. After only 20 days here I felt like I had been working with these players for years.
"I didn't need to force anything, it all evolved naturally. They were completely open to me and wanted as much from me as possible.
"Courage, ambition and talent are the qualities I look for in a player. They're even more important than a player having a good game or two."
The result of that is a squad motivated more by the fear of letting down their colleagues and fans than by the glory which beckons.
Stamford Bridge is sure to provide a great atmosphere this evening [GETTY]"This sport needs a bit of fear," Simeone reckons. "Fear gives you courage. I always tell the players, 'If you're scared that means you're ready to fight, to kill' - in football terms of course.
"In my own country fear has always been something that has made us more prepared for whatever lies in store."
That echoes the words of Chelsea midfielder Andre Schurrle after he scored the goal that helped to seal quarter-final passage past Paris St Germain after a disastrous first leg had left them trailing 3-1.
"There's something in this team, it's hard to describe, but it's amazing," said the young German. "I've never played in a team like this before. I came here to be involved in games like this and be with a team who have what it takes to go through."
And Mourinho did not seem surprised at the efforts of a squad he has assembled in his own image.
"The players were open to the risk, open to the sacrifice," he said afterwards.
"The people in midfield had to run miles. People in the defensive line had to cope with big players with lots of space. The people who create were always trying to create. The strikers went to the box well. It was a fantastic mentality."
The mentality of both sides will be key to surviving the Stamford Bridge cauldron tonight.
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