Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho believes he can break Real Madrid's UEFA Champions League jinx and qualify for the quarter-finals by beating Lyon on Wednesday.
Mourinho brought success to FC Porto in 2004 when he led the side to the trophy, but his new job at Real Madrid brings much more pressure to bring home silverware in Europe, something they have not done since 2002.
Madrid have failed to get past the round-of-16 in the last six seasons and face bogey-team Lyon, who have never lost to them. However, Mourinho claims that he will upset the history books by sealing his side's progress to the next phase.
"My team are not afraid of recent history; statistics exist so that we can go out and contradict them," Mourinho told the UEFA website. ''Sure [Lyon] have quality, but we must eliminate them. "I've already done that [with Porto] on my way to winning the tournament."
Meanwhile, former Chelsea and Real Madrid star Claude Makelele has branded the Portuguese boss 'calculating' and 'cruel' despite his great success.
Makelele told El Confidencial: "Mourinho is a winner. He knows how to use you and how to motivate you to get everything from you. In these terms he is a great coach. The problem is when you drop off. At that point he is calculating, cruel and ambitious."
Madrid have failed to get past the round-of-16 in the last six seasons and face bogey-team Lyon, who have never lost to them. However, Mourinho claims that he will upset the history books by sealing his side's progress to the next phase.
"My team are not afraid of recent history; statistics exist so that we can go out and contradict them," Mourinho told the UEFA website. ''Sure [Lyon] have quality, but we must eliminate them. "I've already done that [with Porto] on my way to winning the tournament."
Meanwhile, former Chelsea and Real Madrid star Claude Makelele has branded the Portuguese boss 'calculating' and 'cruel' despite his great success.
Makelele told El Confidencial: "Mourinho is a winner. He knows how to use you and how to motivate you to get everything from you. In these terms he is a great coach. The problem is when you drop off. At that point he is calculating, cruel and ambitious."
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