EUROPA LEAGUE SEMI-FINALS: Atletico Madrid V Liverpool ( Kick-off: Tonight, 8.05pm) : RAFAEL BENITEZ believes he will send a more united Liverpool into tonight's Europa League semi-final against Atletico Madrid as a result of the club's arduous 24-hour journey to the Spanish capital.

On the basis that every volcanic ash cloud has a silver lining, the Liverpool manager last night claimed team spirit had been enhanced by taking three trains, several coaches and one flight to Spain following the closure of British airspace and Uefa’s refusal to delay the first leg at the Vicente Calderon.

Liverpool arrived in Madrid at 1.30pm yesterday, rested at the team hotel and took part in a light training session at the stadium in the evening. And Benitez is confident the one positive of the trip can outweigh any fatigue against Atletico, who have reached the semi-final despite winning only one of their last 12 European games.

“I don’t think the players have enjoyed the journey,” said the Liverpool manager. “But it has been good to see how everyone has stuck together. It has given them an opportunity to stay together, talk and share some things, and we have to use that as a positive. It has given everyone a better team experience.

“I am sure they will be tired, but it can actually help the team spirit when everyone has something like this in common. If we were on a plane for one or two hours, as we would normally be for a game like this, then everyone would be just watching a film or on their PlayStations. Now they are talking more and doing more things together. At the train stations you could see that instead of simply sticking to their normal groups, they have been talking to each other in different groups and moving around. This can help us.”

Benitez watched Barcelona’s Champions League semi-final, first-leg defeat at Internazionale during an overnight stay in Paris and dismissed the suggestion that travel fatigue played a part in the Catalans’ surprise 3-1 loss.

“I don’t think it was a factor,” he said. “Barcelona had plenty of possession, but they made two or three mistakes and Inter were dangerous on the counterattack.”

He also believes Liverpool have taken precautions to limit the impact of the trip on the players.

“Hopefully the journey will not have an effect on our physical performance and will be a positive in terms of the spirit of the team,” Benitez added.

“It was important we decided to rest in Paris because that gave the players a night to sleep, and it will help to regenerate them by doing some training in Madrid.”

Liverpool have yet to discover their route back from Madrid, although travel representatives hope to secure a flight to northern Britain after tonight’s game. Fernando Torres, who will again miss an emotional reunion with his former club having undergone knee surgery on Sunday, is not expected to return to Vicente Calderon, even as a spectator. The Liverpool striker has been advised to continue his rehabilitation from the operation in Barcelona.

• Guardian Service