Atletico to make Mourinho blue
Atletico Madrid Diego Costa in action against Elche in league football match the Vicente Calderon stadium in Madrid on Friday. Costa is expected to lead the Atletico attack against Mourinho’s Chelsea tonight. PHOTO BY AFP
What you need to know:
The return leg will be held at Stamford Bridge on Wed, May 30
Madrid- Jose Mourinho’s ‘little horse’ continues to outrun its odds and the influence of the ‘Special One’ cannot be underestimated with his tactical nous, confidence and aura seemingly affecting his team, opponents and media alike.
The French press certainly credited him with PSG’s meek display in the second leg of the quarter-final as he won the tactical ‘battle’ with Laurent Blanc and the layers appear to be expecting more of the same with Atletico Madrid available at a general even money.
La Liga leaders host Chelsea tonight in the semi-final first leg of Uefa Champions League.
Sergio Aguero was leading the Atletico attack the last time that these two sides met in the Uefa Champions League with Chelsea ‘winning’ their two games by an aggregate of 6-2 with a 4-0 win at the Bridge but the make-up of the sides could hardly be more different at present.
Atletico are sitting high at the top of La Liga while Chelsea come into the game on the back of a home defeat to bottom placed Sunderland, the first time that Mourinho had lost a league game at Stamford Bridge.
Gus Poyet’s side showed no fear of the Blues and fellow South American Diego Simeone is the last man that you would expect to be cowed by the myth that surrounds Mourinho.
Simeone has overseen a remarkable transformation at the Vicente Calderon which has seen his team go a long way to breaking the stranglehold that Real Madrid and Barcelona have held on the Spanish game.
In Diego Costa, they have a world class striker who has netted 27 League goals as well as scoring seven in six CL games and Chelsea’s strikers come up short in comparison.
