Benfica coach Jorge Jesus reiterated that he did not seek help from Jose Mourinho or Andre Villas-Boas ahead of the crunch UEFA Champions League tie with Chelsea.
The Primeira Liga giants face the toughest examination of their European credentials yet, when they take on Roberto di Matteo’s in-form Blues.
Benfica have secured their place amongst the best of the continent after recording a victory at Estadio da Luz in the last round against Zenit St. Petersburg. http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Jorge-c19120 Jesus’s side boast a number of quality players in their ranks and their superb form has added
to their confidence going into the tie.
However they face a tough task against the Londoners, who have been on a roll since the departure of Villas-Boas. The Portuguese tactician unceremoniously departed Stamford Bridge after a series of poor results threatened to derail the club’s ambitions.
Di Matteo took over and has since then masterminded several wins including a sensational one over http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Napoli-c40003 in the Champions League.
With the kind of opponents he is up against, there have been rumours that Benfica boss Jorge Jesus has been seeking help from former Chelsea managers Jose Mourinho and Andre Villas-Boas on how to successfully counter the likes of http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Frank-Lampard-c14097 and Juan Mata.
However the trainer has reiterated that this is not the case and that he hasn’t asked anyone for help.
"Of course I have not spoken with them. Chelsea are a well-known side. My thoughts on Chelsea come from their matches which I have watched and not because I have spoken with Mourinho or Villas-Boas."
He also added that his Italian counter-part http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Roberto-c31294 di Matteo on the other hand had such an advantage but his side would do their best to progress.
"If I were him, I would ask the players for information. But I do not know if he is going to. Chelsea also have http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Paulo-Ferreira-c29445 and Hilario, so they have four players who have played under me and who know a lot about my philosophy."
"Every side in the quarter-finals has a lot of quality. We need to have the perfect match, in terms of defence and attack. We will need an inspired night for the dream of beating Chelsea to come true,” he said.
Benfica take on http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Chelsea-c38786 at the Stadium of Light today, with the return leg on the 4th of April.
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