Carlo Ancelotti is hoping to use Chelsea’s Champions League clash with Inter as an opportunity to end his feud with Jose Mourinho.
The pair clashed several times in Italy last season before Ancelott moved to Stamford Bridge in the summer. Former Chelsea boss Mourinho insisted Ancelotti was “no friend of his”, while Ancelotti claimed he was not a follower of the self-proclaimed ‘Special One’.
“If we don’t have a good relationship, this game can be a good opportunity to return to a good relationship,” said Ancelotti. “There were some problems, some questions and discussions in the papers. Only this. Nothing important.
“I’m not ready to play mind games. I never will be ready to play these games. I prefer to play football matches. I have experience of what he’ll do. I think that, for him, it will be an emotional game. He did a very good job here in Chelsea so to play against Chelsea won’t be easy for him. He will do his best to win.
“I said that Inter were one of the strongest teams in the second group, but we have to accept this draw. If we want to win the Champions League we have to fight against strong teams. I know Inter very well and they’re a strong team, so I think they will be tough games.
“Mourinho did a very good job and maintained a very good relationship with these players. That’s normal. They won things and this will be a reminder of those seasons. It was clear Ancelotti was taking extra care to avoid fuelling another row with Mourinho and tried to take the expected sting out of their meeting by claiming: “I think the match is Chelsea versus Inter, nothing else.”
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Inter president Massimo Moratti told the club’s official website: ”For Mourinho to return to Stamford Bridge will be an added motivation. It will be a very strong motivation for him. It is better to feel strong motivations and against Chelsea there will be those.
”All of the teams can be beaten but it always depends on what we can do, hence, it will be very interesting to watch and experience this tie. It is useless to have fear and I don’t believe we will experience that.”
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