Tuesday cover: Iker Casillas and Porto prepare for a special return from Jose Mourinho



The National's Sport cover for the Tuesday, September 29 issue, featuring FC Porto keeper Iker Casillas as his club prepare for Chelsea in the Champions League.

Ian Hawkey previews the match, noting the history between Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho and many on the Porto side:

“With almost anybody else, you might reckon Jose Mourinho could use an extra friend at the moment. But then with Mourinho’s battles, his apparently eager search for enmities new and old, you never feel quite sure of whether he finds friends more useful than the energy of constant friction.

“Already this season he has fallen out with his Chelsea medical staff, with fellow managers, and nagged his players noisily.

“Tuesday night he cannot help but be among thousands of admirers. Mourinho achieved more for Porto, who host Chelsea at the Dragao, than any coach this century, his legacy there a Uefa Champions League, a Uefa Cup and a collection of domestic trophies.

“Porto made Mourinho’s name, had him believe in himself as a “Special One”, and several of the many players who raised their standards during his time in charge there, from 2002 to 2004, left Porto in exchange for large sums of money that helped the club consolidate its position as a consistently powerful European middleweight.”

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