Porto deserve respect, says Mourinho

'Good team'
Mourinho won the UEFA Champions League with Porto in 2004 before moving to Stamford Bridge, but he put emotion to one side as he assessed Chelsea's chances of progressing to the quarter-finals. "A draw is a draw and especially in the last 16 of the Champions League you know a good team is coming your way," he said. "Porto is a team with tradition in European football and is a team with ambition so they deserve respect from us and they will have it. Do we want to go to the quarter-final? Of course. Are we confident? 100 per cent. But I repeat, only a good Chelsea playing at a high level will do it."

Porto return
It is the second time Mourinho has come up against his old team since leading them to the UEFA Champions League title. The two clubs were paired in the group stage in 2004/05 and Mourinho came out on top at Stamford Bridge. The two-times European champions got their revenge at the Estádio do Dragão two months later, a 2-1 victory taking them through to the knockout rounds alongside Chelsea.

Heated reception
So heated was the reception awaiting Mourinho at the Dragão that Chelsea assistant manager Steve Clarke took his place at the pre-match press conference because of security concerns. Porto coach Jesualdo Ferreira, though, looked to take the sting out of this latest reunion. "I don't have anything special to do with Chelsea, so I won't be drawn into talking about anything else," he said. "They are a very strong team who want to win the competition and we have two months to improve our game. We're very pleased to play against them but it won't be easy."

English test
While Chelsea had never been drawn against Portuguese opposition before 2004/05, Porto – who will also welcome Chelsea players Hilário, Ricardo Carvalho and Paulo Ferreira back to the Dragão – are more familiar with English sides. They qualified from Group G this season as runners-up to Arsenal FC and earned their place in the knockout phase after a goalless draw against Arsène Wenger's men in Porto last week.

United defeated
Mourinho himself has guided Porto in a memorable tie against English opposition, famously walking down the tunnel at Old Trafford with arms raised in defiant celebration in March 2004 after Costinha's last-minute goal had taken his team into the quarter-finals at Manchester United FC's expense. Two months later Mourinho would lift the trophy as Porto were crowned champions for the second time. The first leg will be played at the Dragão on Wednesday 21 February with the return two weeks later at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday 6 March.