[1]Jose Mourinho is ready to erase one of the worst memories of his career as the Chelsea manager returns to the Champions League against Swiss champions FC Basel on Wednesday.
Mourinho’s last Champions League match in charge of Chelsea turned out to be the final fixture of his three-year reign in west London as a 1-1 draw against Norwegian minnows Rosenborg proved the final straw for owner Roman Abramovich.
A power struggle between Abramovich and Mourinho came to a head following that lacklustre performance at a half-empty Stamford Bridge and the Portuguese coach was dismissed just 48 hours later.
It was a most unfitting epitaph for Mourinho’s glorious spell at Chelsea, which yielded two Premier League titles, two League Cups and an FA Cup.
Mourinho, who has since won the Champions League with Inter Milan in 2010, also suffered two agonising semi-final defeats against Liverpool in Europe’s elite competition during his time at Chelsea.
But, following his return to the club from Real Madrid in pre-season, the 50-year-old has an opportunity to ensure thoughts of Chelsea and Europe conjure up happier memories in future.
Barca welcome Ajax for historic first clash
For two sides with such a great history in European football, the meeting between Barcelona and Ajax will remarkably be the first ever competitive match between the two clubs.
The feeling that this is an historic occasion is felt even more strongly in the Catalan capital given the huge influence the Ajax model has had on the incredible success Barcelona have enjoyed over the past three decades.
Both sides have four European Cup titles to their name but it wasn’t until 1992 that Barca won the famous trophy for the first time when Johan Cruyff, who as a player had guided Ajax to their first three European titles, was the Barca coach.
Since then Cruyff’s influence has continued at Barca in the 4-3-3 formation that they still use and most notably in the success of a former Cruyff pupil in Pep Guardiola during his period in charge.
On the field, Barca have had an uncertain start to the season despite winning all four of their league games and reclaiming the Spanish Super Cup.
Meanwhile, in-form Arsenal face Marseille wary of the need to hit the ground running in what was just about the toughest group they could have been given.
The Gunners have won their last five matches in all competitions, and sit in a lofty position at the top of the Premier League after Saturday’s 3-1 win at Sunderland.
That sequence of results, combined with the feel-good factor generated by the arrival of record signing Mesut Ozil from Real Madrid, ensures that confidence is high in Arsene Wenger’s squad just now, even if they continue to be plagued by injuries.
In Milan, Rafael Benitez’s Napoli will put their credentials on the line when they welcome last season’s beaten finalists Borussia Dortmund to the San Paolo.
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