4 Reasons Why Liverpool Fans Will Relish Return of Champions League Football

Tuesday night sees the return of Champions League football to Liverpool for the first time in almost five years, and Reds fans are delighted.

A lot has changed at Anfield since Rafa Benitez's men crashed out at the group stage in 2009-10 following two European Cup finals in the five years prior. Liverpool won the Champions League itself in 2005.

There have been four managers at the helm since then and a change of ownership. In the meantime, the club has gone through some of its darkest days.

However, with the positive-thinking, positive-talking Brendan Rodgers in the manager's hot seat, brighter days are back on Merseyside—as is the Champions League. 

Famous Anfield European Nights

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Think of Anfield and think of the Kop, particularly on big European nights.

The sea of red-and-white flags and scarves, the mosaics and the euphoria of a passionate midweek "You'll Never Walk Alone" are all iconic images within world football.

The phrase "you don't know what you've got until it's gone" has never been so apt. Liverpool went through the 2000s taking Champions League football for granted.

After the club's five-year hiatus, Liverpool fans are relishing the noise and spectacle Tuesday night's opening game against Ludogorets will bring. 

Connection with the Competition

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Liverpool are naturally synonymous with the European Cup, having lifted the trophy five times.

It comes as no surprise then that fans greatly enjoy the competition, having witnessed or learned about so many glorious triumphs in the club's history.

For Steven Gerrard, it is a return to the competition in which he led the Reds to glory in Istanbul in 2005 and then to the final two years later.

Gerrard is the club's all-time leading goalscorer in European competitions with 39 goals. 

Recognition Amongst the Best Teams in Europe

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"Liverpool are one of the footballing greats of world football and the Champions League is the elite competition," Rodgers said at his press conference ahead of Tuesday night's game, according to This Is Anfield.

To have Liverpool's name alongside the likes of Real Madrid shows how far the club has come since the dark days of George Gillett and Tom Hicks (and Roy Hodgson, for that matter).

Reds fans can once again feel proud that the eyes of the world are on Liverpool in the most prestigious tournament in club football. 

European Away Days

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There are a lot of parties planned by traveling Reds this autumn after being deprived of European Cup travel for almost five years.

Plane routes have been booked up well before match tickets even go on sale for Liverpool's group-stage clashes away at Basel (October 1), Real Madrid (November 4) and Ludogorets (November 26).

Will the Reds go all the way to the final in Berlin next June?