Former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho is set for an emotional return to Stamford Bridge with Benfica in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
While Chelsea might go into the game as favourites, Mourinho’s Benfica team will fancy their chances as the Blues are in a poor run of form at the moment.
The Blues have lost their last two games on the bounce in the Premier League and are without a number of their best players for the game on Tuesday.
The most notable absentee for the game is Chelsea’s talisman, Cole Palmer, who has been ruled out of action for two to three weeks owing to a groin injury.
Speaking ahead of the game, Mourinho was asked about the impact of Palmer’s absence and had something interesting to say about the English international.
The Portuguese manager was at his usual honest best when asked about Palmer’s injury, which has sidelined him for the game on Tuesday night.
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Jose Mourinho delivers his verdict on Cole Palmer’s absence against Benfica
In an interview with The Daily Mail, Mourinho was asked about Chelsea’s star player being out. He said: “I’m happy with that. He’s a phenomenal player. But I think they have a good team in a way that if Cole Palmer doesn’t play, it’s not a problem for them.
“If [Heorhiy] Sudakov doesn’t play or if [Vangelis] Pavlidis doesn’t play, I am in big trouble. But for Chelsea, no problem.”
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Mourinho’s claims essentially indicate that Chelsea have the depth to manage without the Englishman. But one wouldn’t be surprised if that’s a tactic deployed to maintain the Portuguese team’s underdog status going into the tie.
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