The 62-year-old Portuguese coach, who returns to Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night to face his former club, praised the Blues’ squad strength and insisted they remain genuine contenders despite a shaky opening to the league phase.

“The Champions League is much harder to win than the Club World Cup.
“But Chelsea have the potential to do it. I don’t see any reason to say they have no chance,” Mourinho said in his pre-match press conference.

Chelsea head into the clash still searching for their first points of the campaign after suffering a 3-1 defeat to Bayern Munich in their opening fixture. Benfica, managed by Mourinho since the summer, will look to build on their own positive start as both sides aim to gain early momentum in the group stage.

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Messi, often hailed as one of the greatest footballers of all time, has had numerous encounters with Mourinho throughout their respective careers.

The legendary forward made his senior debut for Barcelona in a friendly against Mourinho’s Porto side back in November 2003.

Over the years, Mourinho faced Messi on multiple high-profile occasions—most notably during his tenure at Real Madrid in LaLiga, as well as during memorable UEFA Champions League clashes while managing Chelsea and Inter Milan.

Speaking to Sporty Net, Mourinho was asked which player had contributed most to his personal growth in football. He responded:

“Messi, because every time I played against him he forced me to think a lot.”

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