Madrid: Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho said he was keen to avoid former clubs Chelsea and Inter Milan in the Champions League quarter-final draw on Friday.
The flamboyant Portuguese helped Real end six years of Champions League failure on Wednesday when they beat Olympique Lyon 3-0 for a 4-1 aggregate success to claim a berth in the last eight for the first time since 2004.That was the year Mourinho won the Champions League with Porto before moving to Chelsea and then to Inter Milan, whom he led to a treble of Italian league and cup and Champions League last season.
"I prefer to avoid Chelsea and Inter because emotionally it`s difficult playing against your people and your friends," Mourinho told a news conference.
"If we have to play them then we will play them as we are all professionals but I`ll have to forget they are my people."
"Emotionally I will have to better prepare myself to play Inter or Chelsea."
Real could also be drawn against great Spanish rivals and 2009 winners Barcelona.
They are five points behind Barca in La Liga with 10 games left and are due to play them in the King`s Cup final on April 20.
Real Director General Jorge Valdano said it would be better for Spanish football if the pair met later in the competition, adding that he would not like to draw Schalke 04, as the return of former Real striker Raul would be too much of a distraction."We wouldn`t like it if Raul visited us," Valdano said in a television interview.
"There would be too much emotion in the atmosphere and it wouldn`t be advisable."
Bureau Report
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.