We can beat Barcelona, says Jose Mourinho

11 April 2012

Jose Mourinho is confident his Inter Milan team can beat Barcelona in their upcoming Champions League clash.

Inter have had a less than spectacular start to the season and made hard work of seeing off Parma today.

However, Mourinho believes they will do better when they host the defending champions on Wednesday.

"Will we be starting on equal terms? Yes, of course, at the first minute it will be 0-0," he told Sky Italia. "Barca are a team who have been close sighted for four or five years.

"They have practically always the same players, they change one player for another but it is still the same structure as when they were the Champions of Europe with (former coach Frank) Rijkaard.

"We have five new players and are building a team but I think we can win this game."

Wednesday's match will also see the return to the San Siro of Zlatan Ibrahimovic who moved to Barcelona in the summer in a deal which saw Samuel Eto'o move the other way, while Inter also received 45 million euros.

Mourinho insists he will welcome back his former charge with open arms, although he admits he is unsure whether the Inter fans will offer as warm a reaction.

"A player who gave me as much as Ibra will always be in my heart," he said. "But I am someone who forgets quickly and now I'm thinking about my players.

"I'm pleased with his work in Barca but I am very happy with my players.

"He will be welcomed with a super hug by me, I can't know how the fans will welcome him. I will hug him at the beginning of the match but for the 90 minutes I don't even want to know his name.

"We are opponents but I don't feel betrayed, thanks to him we are champions of Italy. He did a lot for Inter and Inter did a lot for him, for me it's equal.

"You can't forget a player like him, I have him in my heart, but I always say that mine are the best."

Mourinho was also asked about former AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti's impressive start to his time in charge at Chelsea, where he has won his opening five games.

The former Chelsea manager, who steered the Blues to their first league title for more than half a century in his first season in charge, played down his old adversary's success.

Mourinho responded: "He has beaten my record of opening victories in the Premier League? He can never beat my record, I won a title in England after 55 years."

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