Former Chelsea manager José Mourinho believes that it would be almost impossible for his former club to beat Barcelona in the semifinals of the Champions League.
Chelsea have been drawn against Barcelona after beating Benfica in the quarter finals of the European competition. However, not many are giving them an opportunity to win against the Spanish club, who are the favourites to win this year’s competition. José Mourinho is one among them, as the Portuguese manager made it into the semifinals of the competition with his club Real Madrid after beating Cyprus club APOEL in the quarter-finals.
Speaking after the match against APOEL, José Mourinho said that Chelsea have almost no chance of beating Barcelona, who have turned on the style in recent weeks. It is certainly a surprise to see Chelsea at this stage of the competition, especially considering their troubles earlier in the campaign.
They also were extremely close to being sent out of the Champions League in the first knockout stages itself after the 3-1 defeat at Napoli in the first leg. However, the appointment of manager Roberto di Matteo in place of Andre Villas-Boas has done wonders at Chelsea, but José Mourinho reckons that a place in the final will be a stretch too far for Chelsea.
“For me the big question is knowing who will play against Barca in the final because they are very good. It will be a great semi-final, Bayern against Real Madrid, and the best team will go on to play against Barca,” said Mourinho. “It will be exciting to play two games against probably one of the best teams in the world. We will find a strategy that will suit our players and our team to face Barcelona,” interim manager Di Matteo said after progressing into the semifinals.