Jose Mourinho hopes to upset one of his former employers when he returns to Portugal tonight.
Mourinho worked under the legendary English manager Bobby Robson as an assistant at Sporting between 1992 and 1993, with the Chelsea boss joking in Portuguese: “It was a fantastic time until the moment they sacked Mr Robson.”
It’s Mourinho’s first return to his homeland for a competitive fixture since 2009 and he says his chances of success will be greatly enhanced with the presence of striker Diego Costa in his team.
Costa is struggling with a hamstring injury, but Mourinho is adamant he will play tonight.
“Diego starts,” Mourinho declared. “There is a risk, yes, but he plays. We assume the risk and he plays.
“Hopefully everything goes well and hopefully from Tuesday till Sunday he has enough period of time to be back again on track and to play against Arsenal (in the Premier League).
“It’s an important game for us, a difficult game and if I can play my best players and the team I think is the best team to try to get the best result, I’m not going to make any change.”
Sporting coach Marco Silva admitted he was looking foward to pitting his wits against Mourinho.
“He referred to our ambition, our style,” he said. “I’m happy with that. Compliments are always good coming from Mourinho. It’s a great challenge for a trainer.”