Jose Mourinho said he had no “magic potion” to conjure victory for his Real Madrid side against Barcelona in Wednesday’s Champions League semi-final first leg. The Portuguese led Inter Milan to victory in last year’s edition of Europe’s elite club competition before moving to Spain, disposing of Pep Guardiola’s Barca side on the way with a 3-2 aggregate win in the semi-finals.
However, he reminded reporters on Tuesday that he was still the same coach who suffered a 5-0 La Liga drubbing at Barca’s hands at the Nou Camp in November. “They (Barca) are a top team with a top coach and everything is possible,” he told a news conference at Real’s training ground. “I am exactly the same coach who lost 5-0 to Barcelona and I don’t have any magic potion.”
“We played a great game in Valencia (in the Cup final) but tomorrow is another match. We have to play at our top level and not be influenced by what has already past,” added Mourinho. “These are two teams that know each other well, with tradition, with players who know success and what it means to play important games,” he said.
“My opinion is that there are no favourites. In a semi-final with two legs there are no favourites.” Mourinho said he had quoted Albert Einstein to his players to illustrate the importance of “will” in sports contests. “One day he (Einstein) said that the only mechanical force more powerful than steam, electricity and atomic energy is will,” he said. “That Alberto bloke was not stupid. With will you can achieve things.”
