Mourinho takes patriotic stand against rivals
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Your support makes all the difference.Jose Mourinho may have already qualified for the knockout stages of the Champions' League but the Chelsea manager could not resist a dig at Cristiano Ronaldo before Manchester United face Benfica tomorrow night.
A proud Portuguese patriot, Mourinho said he would like to see Benfica and Porto qualify for the next round at the expense of United and Arsenal, and he saidRonaldo's sometimes dubious penalty-winning tactics would not fool Benfica. "They know Ronaldo well and how to deal with his ways," Mourinho said. "I think it will not be so easy for him to get one of his penalties. Benfica has a chance."
Mourinho will not have been best pleased to find out that Stanimir Stoilov, the manager of tonight's opposition, Levski Sofia, met Sir Alex Ferguson in the team hotel. The Levski officials were keen to stress it was a chance meeting but a hotel lobby conversation between opposition managers with mutual interests has the feel of a conspiracy, and Mourinho does not need encouragement to feel paranoid.
Chelsea must beat Levski to be sure of winning Group A, but a draw will suffice if Barcelona beat Werder Bremen. John Terry is suspended, Claude Makelele rested and Ashley Cole on the bench but Levski are yet to earn a point in their first Champions' League season.
Without a weekend game, the Chelsea manager was still complaining that his team will have one day's less rest than Newcastle before they play them on 13 December. But he was more concerned with the three penalties awarded to United and Arsenal this week. "We can say again that it doesn't go that way for us and we don't get those decisions, and the others can't say that. We had a penalty at Sheffield United, that wasn't a penalty, given against us. They [United and Arsenal] get penalties given for them that are not penalties. I don't want to speak a lot about it, because if I speak again I will get another one of those letters from the FA I receive every time and I don't want to go there."
Chelsea (4-4-2, probable): Cudicini; Geremi, Carvalho, Boulahrouz, Bridge; Mikel, Essien, Lampard, Robben; Drogba, Shevchenko.
Levski Sofia (4-1-2-3, probable)): Mitrev; Milanov, Tomasic, Topuzakov, Angelov; Eromoigbe; Borimirov, Bardon; Dimitrov, Domovchiyski, Yovov.
Referee: A Hamer (Luxembourg).
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