Bring on the sharks, cries Jose Mourinho as Chelsea clinch group
Jose Mourinho insists Chelsea will show no fear when they dive into the shark infested waters of the Champions League last 16.
Mourinho’s side got back on track with a 3-1 win over Sporting Lisbon in their group G finale at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday to erase the bitter taste of their first defeat of the season at Newcastle last weekend.
As group winners, the Blues will be pitted against one of big-spending French club Paris Saint-Germain, Italian champions Juventus, Swiss side Basel, Germany’s Bayer Leverkusen or Shakhtar Donetsk of the Ukraine in Monday’s draw for the knockout stages of Europe’s elite club competition.
Mourinho knows taking on PSG or Juventus would be a tough test for the Premier League leaders, while the Blues boss is also well aware of the qualities of Basel, who knocked out Liverpool this season and beat Chelsea twice in the group stages last term.
I like swimming with sharks – in a cage. I did it in French Polynesia. I didn’t want to do it, but my wife and kids pushed me
But there was no chance of a feisty competitor like Mourinho voicing any concerns about the dangers lying in wait for his team as they try to improve on last season’s semi-final exit.