UEFA.com works better on other browsers
For the best possible experience, we recommend using Chrome, Firefox or Microsoft Edge.

Mourinho's mission to cause more Chelsea woe

Twice José Mourinho was narrowly thwarted in his quest to lead Chelsea FC to UEFA Champions League glory and now he stands in their way as the west London side try to overturn a 2-1 loss to reach the quarter-finals.

Mourinho's mission to cause more Chelsea woe
Mourinho's mission to cause more Chelsea woe ©UEFA.com

Having been thwarted in his attempt to lead Chelsea FC to UEFA Champions League glory during his three seasons in west London, José Mourinho now attempts to plot their downfall as his FC Internazionale Milano team bid for a place in the quarter-finals.

• The tie also holds great resonance for his opposite number, Carlo Ancelotti facing the team who were his greatest rivals during the eight years he held the reins at AC Milan.

Previous meetings
• It was Mourinho who came out on top in the first meeting at San Siro on 24 February, goals from Diego Milito (three minutes) and Esteban Cambiasso (55) earning Inter a narrow lead to take to London, with Salomon Kalou (51) replying for Chelsea.

• Although that was the first time the clubs had met in UEFA competition, they locked horns last summer in a pre-season friendly in the United States. Chelsea won 2-0 thanks to goals from Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard (pen).

Match background
• Chelsea have won both their previous knockout ties against Italian sides. In five of the past six campaigns they have reached the semi-finals but only once have they made it to the final, losing to Manchester United FC on penalties in 2007/08. Two of their semi-final defeats came during Mourinho's tenure, Liverpool FC their conquerors in both 2005 and 2007.

• They overcame Italian opponents at this stage 12 months ago when a 1-0 home win against Juventus preceded a 2-2 draw in Turin.

• This time round Chelsea topped Group D with 14 points, and were unbeaten in six fixtures. At Stamford Bridge they defeated FC Porto (1-0) and Club Atlético de Madrid (4-0), drawing 2-2 with APOEL FC when first place was already assured.

• The London club are unbeaten in 21 UEFA Champions League home matches, since Barcelona's 2-1 win at Stamford Bridge on 22 February 2006. Chelsea have won 15 of their subsequent home games.

• Chelsea have won three of the six UEFA competition ties in which they have had a first-leg deficit to retrieve at Stamford Bridge, the most recent defeat coming in the 2003/04 UEFA Champions League semi-finals against AS Monaco FC (1-3 away, 2-2 home). However, two teams have travelled to London on the back of 2-1 home wins in the competition in recent seasons, FC Barcelona (2004/05 first knockout round) and Fenerbahçe SK (2007/08 quarter-finals), and Chelsea won 4-2 and 2-0 respectively to go through on each occasion.

• Inter have been eliminated at this stage of the UEFA Champions League for the last three seasons, bowing out against English opposition in each of the last two campaigns. Twelve months ago Manchester United beat them 2-0 on aggregate after the first leg in Milan ended goalless, with Liverpool winning 2-0 on Merseyside and 1-0 at San Siro in 2007/08.

• Mourinho's team won only two games in finishing second in Group F, two points behind FC Barcelona. Away from home they drew 1-1 at FC Rubin Kazan and won 2-1 at FC Dynamo Kyiv before losing 2-0 in Spain.

• Inter's most recent victory in England was a 3-0 triumph at Arsenal FC in the 2003/04 group stage courtesy of goals from Julio Cruz, Andy van der Meyde and Obafemi Martins.

• The Milan club have won five and lost four of their previous nine two-legged ties against teams from England while in addition to last season's Juventus victory, Chelsea overcame Vicenza Calcio 3-2 on aggregate in the 1997/98 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup semi-finals.

• Traditionally Inter have fared well when winning the first leg of a UEFA competition at home; of the 41 occasions the Italian side have initially won in Milan, they have recorded 37 overall victories. That includes three ties where Inter won 2-1 at home in the first match although the last time they triumphed by that scoreline, in the 2005/06 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals against Villarreal CF, they lost 1-0 in Spain and were eliminated on away goals.

Team ties
• While in charge of Milan, Ancelotti won ten of 18 competitive games against Inter, losing five. Two of the three draws were in the 2002/03 UEFA Champions League semi-final, Milan progressing on away goals after drawing 1-1 in Inter's home leg and going on to lift the trophy to give Ancelotti his first title in the competition as a coach.

• Ancelotti got the better of Mourinho in the 2003 UEFA Super Cup when Milan beat FC Porto 1-0. Honours were even when the pair went head to head in Serie A last season, Milan and Inter each winning their home game.

• Ancelotti scored against Inter in AS Roma's 4-3 home win on 12 May 1985.

• Samuel Eto'o and Juliano Belletti scored the Barcelona goals as they came from behind to triumph 2-1 against Arsenal FC, a side which included Ashley Cole, in the 2006 UEFA Champions League final.

• Eto'o was in the Barça team that overcame Chelsea in last season's semi-finals, going through on away goals after a 1-1 aggregate draw.

• Ricardo Quaresma spent the second half of 2009/10 on loan at Chelsea in 2009 but made only one starting appearance.

• Ricardo Carvalho and Deco won the UEFA Cup in 2003 and the UEFA Champions League in 2004 for Porto under Mourinho. José Bosingwa was also a member of the 2004 squad.

• Thiago Motta and Eto'o were team-mates at Barcelona with Deco and Belletti.

• Marco Materazzi scored in the 2006 FIFA World Cup final for Italy as they went on to defeat France on penalties. Chelsea's Florent Malouda was fouled by Materazzi for the penalty which gave France an early lead.

• Drogba scored for Marseille in a 1-0 home win against Inter in the 2004 UEFA Cup quarter-finals. Francesco Toldo, Iván Cordoba and Javier Zanetti all featured over the two legs for the Nerazzurri.

• Sulley Muntari spent 2007/08 with Portsmouth FC, helping them lift the FA Cup. He played in the 1-0 league defeat at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea and is a team-mate of Michael Essien with Ghana.

• Branislav Ivanović and Dejan Stanković play together for Serbia.

• John Terry, Lampard and Joe Cole all played for England in a 3-2 friendly victory against Argentina in November 2005. Zanetti, Walter Samuel and Cambiasso all appeared for their opponents.