Jose Mourinho has suggested that Liverpool’s Champions League tie with FC Porto is “open”.
The Reds beat Mourinho’s former club 5-0 on aggregate in the Round of 16 last year, but Mourinho believes that things could be a lot different when the tow sides meet next week.
As quoted in the Daily Mail, he said: “The tie is open and what happened last year, I believe, can play for Porto in both games.
“Compared with last season, I think Sergio Conceicao will ask himself questions about what happened in order to do something different this time around.
“Liverpool have absolutely fantastic individual quality, but they are disputing the league title which means that they will not rest players in the previous game or between the two games.”
OPINION
Nobody on Merseyside will be shocked to hear old enemy Jose Mourinho talking up his former club ahead of their meeting with the Reds. It’s not exactly a secret that the ex-Manchester United and Chelsea manager is no fan of Liverpool, and he would love nothing more than seeing them get knocked out at such a late stage of the competition, especially to Porto. From a purely theoretical point of view, Mourinho might have a point. The Reds do have more games to contend with and they will surely be prioritising the league title of European glory. That being said, there is an obvious gulf in class between the two teams, and it would be a shock if Liverpool didn’t win it. People keep talking about fitness and fatigue, but these Liverpool players are in peak physical condition, and that, combined with the adrenaline of chasing the two biggest trophies on offer, will surely be enough to see them through a little bit of tiredness. Liverpool to get knocked out? No way, Jose.
