Diego Simeone has been praised for the job he did coaxing his defence through the 1-0 victory over Liverpool in the Champions League, and the Argentine coach has been further buoyed by the fact that Kieran Trippier has made an express recovery from injury.
The trip to Anfield on March 11 had originally been pencilled in as the return date for the Bury-born right-back, yet he returned to the pith against Villarreal at the weekend.
His absence from action had been shortened by more than two weeks, which is a hugely positive development at a time when all three of Jose Gimenez, Stefan Savic and Koke have suffered recurring ailments.
Trippier went under the knife on February 4 and was back on the pitch in less than three weeks, giving Simeone the choice of three right-backs in Santiago Arias, Sime Vrsaljko and the English international himself.
He now has the time to grow organically back into his position of starting right-back, he can build up match fitness ahead of the trip to Merseyside, something which wouldn't previously have been possible.