Inter Milan boss Jose Mourinho unmoved by Chelsea draw
Mourinho only lost 21 of 185 games as Chelsea boss
Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho has played down his return to former club Chelsea, after his side were drawn against them in the Champions League.
Mourinho, who helped Chelsea to back-to-back Premier League titles, will take his Inter side to Stamford Bridge in the last 16 knockout stage in March.
The draw also pits Mourinho against his former rival Carlo Ancelotti, who was in charge of AC Milan last season.
But he told a news conference the tie will be "nothing special".
"There are more than two months to go and we have many matches to play before [then]," the Portuguese coach added.
"It's the same story as always. [They are] an important opponent, a difficult opponent, an opponent we know.
"[They are] two matches that are expected to be evenly balanced, a tie that is expected to go all the way.
The 46-year-old, who won six trophies as Chelsea boss including the Premier League in 2004/05 and 05/06, conceded that there will be a lot of attention on his return to London, but said he will prepare for the tie as he would any other European fixture.
"They are my former team, my former players, my former fans and my former stadium," he said.
"As a professional, I look at the game no differently than I would [a match] against Manchester United, Arsenal or another team."
Ancelotti has also attempted to deflect attention away from his reunion with Mourinho, denying there is any bad blood between the two after words were exchanged at the end of last season as Inter won Serie A, finishing 10 points clear of Ancelotti's AC Milan.
"If we don't have a good relationship, this game can be a good opportunity to return to a good relationship," he said.
"I'm not ready to play mind games. I never will be ready to play these games. I prefer to play football matches."
~RS~a~RS~International~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~34~RS~){kind=small}
~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~34~RS~)
E-mail this to a friend
Printable version
Bookmark with:
What are these?