Mourinho kissing the UCL trophy he won with Porto and the ECL trophy he won with Roma (©Gallo Images)
Mourinho kissing the UCL trophy he won with Porto and the ECL trophy he won with Roma (©Gallo Images)

Mourinho's 'European darlings' cross swords in UEL battle

Reading Time: 2min | Thu. 13.02.25. | 15:47

Two teams which the Portuguese led to European glory, Porto and Roma, face each other in arguably the most intriguing UEFA Europa League playoffs duel

It would have been crystal clear which UEFA Europa League playoffs clash Jose Mourinho would have watched if only his Fenerbahce hadn't been scheduled to face the Belgian Anderlecht two hours and 15 minutes earlier. Tonight (23.00), the two (out of four) teams with which the Portuguese won European trophies, Porto and Roma, lock horns in a classic.

On the other hand, it would be hard to determine who would the Special One support. At first glance, the club from his homeland seems to have a slight edge. After all, Porto are the only side with which Mou won two European trophies (2003 UEFA Cup and 2004 UEFA Champions League). Not to mention that those were his maiden silverware and that Porto helped him make a name for himself. Yet, the Wolfess' 2022 UEFA Conference League triumph was Jose's most recent success.

Icardi called him The Crying One, so Mou's response was brutal
Icardi called him The Crying One, so Mou's response was brutal

Another thing that's difficult to foresee is which side would emerge victorious tonight, as both rivals have been struggling lately. The Dragons are winless in the last five Liga Portugal clashes and sit behind Sporting and Benfica. On the other hand, Claudio Ranieri managed to "put out the fire" and stabilize Roma's Serie A downfall, but the Giallorossi are trailing eight points to Fiorentina which hold the last ticket for next season's European competitions.

Whichever side advances to the Round of 16 will be in for another challenging task as either Roma's rivals from Derby della Capitale, Lazio, or the Spanish Athletic Bilbao will be the next obstacle in the trophy path.

UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE - PLAYOFFS

Thursday

20:45: (1.67) Fenerbahce (4.00) Anderlecht (5.60)

20:45: (2.35) Ferencvaros (3.40) Plzen (3.25)

20:45: (3.60) Midtjylland (3.35) Sociedad (2.10)

20:45: (2.55) St.Gilloise (3.40) Ajax (2.95)

23:00: (2.50) AZ Alkmaar (3.60) Galatasaray (2.70)

23:00: (1.77) PAOK (3.50) FCSB (4.90)

23:00: (2.60) Porto (3.30) Roma (2.95)

23:00: (2.10) Twente (3.70) Bodo (3.60)

***odds are subject to change***


tags

Jose MourinhoFC PortoAS RomaUEFA Europa League

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