LONDON: Facing a crunch match against Liverpool on Saturday, embattled Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho must confront an adversary who condemned him to one of the most painful defeats of his career.
Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool's new manager, was in charge of the Borussia Dortmund side who ousted Real Madrid in the 2012-13 Champions League semi-finals, dashing Mourinho's dream of bringing the European Cup back to the Bernabeu in what he knew would be his final season at the club.
The pair resume hostilities with Mourinho reported to be facing the sack if results do not improve after the defending champions slumped to 15th place in the Premier League and were knocked out of the League Cup by Stoke City, but he has played down the significance of Klopp's arrival.
"They were a good team, they are a good team," Mourinho told his pre-game press conference.
"They had good players, they have good players. They had a very good manager, they have a new very good manager.
"Everything is the same. They have changed some details obviously in their tactical approach, but this is the nature of the game, especially when you are thinking and speaking about two top managers."
Mourinho is expected to be in the dug-out despite having been hit with a Football Association misconduct charge after being sent to the stands during last weekend's 2-1 loss at West Ham United.
But the bad news continues to pile up for the 52-year-old, with former team doctor Eva Carneiro reported to have begun legal proceedings against Chelsea after being sidelined by Mourinho earlier in the season.
Reports differ as to the likely consequences of another defeat for Mourinho, but there is general consensus that his future at Stamford Bridge is on the line.
The dismissal of Klopp's predecessor Brendan Rodgers was a stark reminder of the cost of failure in the English top flight and while the German drew his first three games, his side travel to London on the back of a 1-0 League Cup win over Bournemouth.
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