HE WAS never lacking for confidence.
Jose Mourinho has, of course, unwavering belief that his Chelsea side can overturn a two-goal deficit tonight to advance to the Champions League semi-finals at the expense of Paris Saint-Germain.
Mourinho, twice a Champions League-winning manager, has faith in his side's ability to respond to adversity and upset the odds after a 3-1 quarter-final first-leg loss in Paris.
"Reasons to believe? I think the reasons are not important," Mourinho said. "I believe and my players believe. That's the most important thing. I think if Paris tomorrow is knocked out it will be a big disappointment for them; if tomorrow we are knocked out it's something that, in this moment, lots of people are expecting. We have to enjoy the risk of the situation.
"At 9.30 [tonight] we can be out and we know that we have this risk. But at 7.45 we have chances to be in the semi-final. At 7.45 we believe that we can do it. I think we are going to win. In the end of the two legs, I think we are going to score more goals than them. In this moment it's 3-1, I think in the end it can be 4-3 or 5-4. If I don't think that way I don't go tomorrow. And I go and I'm happy to go."
Mourinho insists Chelsea were more culpable than PSG were good in the loss at Parc des Princes last Wednesday. "In Paris we would expect Paris to play very well to control the game, to have the ball, to be very dangerous," Mourinho added. "We were dangerous to ourselves, because we scored half of the first goal, we scored the second goal and we scored the third goal. Plus our goal, we scored three-and-a-half goals in that match. It was not Paris that played very well."
Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid's top scorer, may miss his side's second leg against Borussia Dortmund as he recovers from a knee problem. The Spanish side arrive in Germany with a 3-0 advantage from the first leg last week and one foot already in the last four. Carlo Ancelotti, the Real head coach, admitted that Ronaldo would not be risked if he was not fully fit.
Dortmund have striker Robert Lewandowski ready to return from a one-match suspension.
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