With Porto-Benfica in mind, José Mourinho tries something never seen before | OneFootball

He will forever be linked to the history of Porto, thanks to his achievements in Invicta. However, the now coach of Benfica, returning to a home he knows very well, faces a challenge he will try to overcome for the first time: winning at the Estádio do Dragão, as an opponent of the Portistas.

At 62 years old and with a career that many coaches would envy, the Special One has sat on the bench of the Dragão, as an opponent, on four separate occasions, but has never managed to leave Invicta with a smile. The first attempt happened even before his time at Porto, when he was leading União de Leiria, in the 2000/01 season.

After an unforgettable stint with the blue and whites, the Setubal coach moved to Chelsea, in the 2004/05 season and, in his first year with the blues, the Portuguese returned to the Dragão, but ended up losing 2-1, a match in the Champions League. Three years later, in 2007, Mourinho returned home, but once again, he didn't smile, adding a draw (1-1).

Eight years later and after stints at Real Madrid and Inter Milan, the now Benfica coach returned to Chelsea and, in 2015 he faced Porto again, but the story repeated itself. In a match in the group stage of the Champions, the Londoners lost again in Invicta (2-1), but the defeat did not prevent their qualification for the round of 16.

Doing the math, José Mourinho has one draw and three losses against the dragons, a record he can break as early as tomorrow, in the match between Porto and Benfica. On the other hand, in the countdown to the Classic, which will kick off at 9:15 PM, the dragons start with a slight advantage over the reds.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.