Special place for The Special One: "I will always be a Blue"

Jose Mourinho is preparing for an emotional return to Stamford Bridge, where his Benfica side will meet Chelsea in the Champions League on Tuesday. Despite admitting he "will always be a Blue," the former Chelsea manager made it clear he is determined to come away with a victory.

During his two spells in charge at Chelsea, Mourinho lifted seven trophies, including three Premier League titles, an FA Cup, and three League Cups. Now 62, his managerial journey has taken him across Europe, with stints at Manchester United, Tottenham, Real Madrid, Roma, and most recently Fenerbahce. After his dismissal in August, he returned to Benfica earlier this month, the very club where his coaching career began in 2000.

His second spell with Benfica has started positively, with two wins and a draw from his first three matches. Reflecting on his bond with Chelsea, he explained: "I will always be a Blue. I am part of their history. They are part of my history. I helped them to become a bigger Chelsea, and they helped me to become a bigger Jose. It will be my Chelsea before the start of the game and after the game but during the game it's my Benfica and that's all that matters. When I say I am not a Blue, I am only speaking about the job I have to do tomorrow."

Mourinho, who famously won the Champions League with Porto in 2004 and Inter Milan in 2010, had a turbulent summer. As Fenerbahce coach, he suffered elimination at the hands of Benfica in the play-off round before being dismissed just two days later. Ironically, he was soon back in Lisbon to replace Bruno Lage after Benfica’s shock defeat to Qarabag.

Speaking about his unexpected return, Mourinho admitted he had imagined a different path: "After 25 years I was expecting to go back to Portugal through the national team, not Benfica, and I'm back to Benfica so I don't have a career project. I don't try to think what can happen or what cannot happen. The important thing is giving everything. Now I'm in Benfica and very happy. It's a big responsibility, even for a guy like me of years in football. Benfica is a huge responsibility for different reasons."

Chelsea, who have added both the Club World Cup and the Conference League to their trophy cabinet in recent months, were praised by Mourinho as a "winning machine." He reflected: "They won something before my time, then we started winning and kept winning."

On the eve of the clash, Mourinho also showed his softer side, embracing Chelsea’s long-serving staff member Thresa Conneely. The reunion was a reminder of the deep personal ties he still maintains with the club he once called home.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - MATCHDAY 2

Tuesday

19.45: (1.95) Atalanta (3.70) Club Brugge (4.10)

19.45: (35.0) Kairat Almaty (14.0) Real Madrid (1.08)

22.00: (1.48) Atl.Madrid (4.85) Eintr.Frankfurt (6.75)

22.00: (3.15) Bodo (3.75) Tottenham (2.15)

22.00: (1.70) Chelsea (4.00) Benfica (5.25)

22.00: (4.95) Galatasaray (4.30) Liverpool (1.70)

22.00: (1.28) Inter (5.90) Slavia Praha (9.50)

22.00: (1.48) Olympique Marseille (4.70) Ajax (7.00)

22.00: (21.0) Paphos (11.0) Bayern (1.12)

Wednesday

19.45: (2.70) Qarabag (3.35) Copenhagen (2.60)

19.45: (3.50) St.Gilloise (3.45) Newcastle (2.10)

22.00: (1.20) Arsenal (6.75) Olympiakos (14.0)

22.00: (1.95) Barcelona (3.70) PSG (3.70)

22.00: (1.83) Dortmund (3.50) Ath.Bilbao (4.50)

22.00: (1.87) Leverkusen (3.60) PSV (4.20)

22.00: (6.75) Monaco (4.40) Man.City (1.48)

22.00: (1.90) Napoli (3.50) Sporting (4.10)

22.00: (2.35) Villareal (3.35) Juventus (3.05)

***odds are subject to change***