Deco warning for Mourinho

Barcelona’s Portuguese playmaker Deco, who was the star man in Jose Mourinho’s Porto side who won the Champions League last season, has warned his former coach his players are in for a rough ride.

Deco believes he has worked out how to defeat visitors Chelsea.

“I believe that we have more quality than Chelsea but they are a very strong team and have things that possibly we don’t have,” said Deco.

“They work a lot to win the ball. They are concentrated for 90 minutes and have some of the best defenders in Europe,” he added.

“I know Mourinho and some of the players but I don’t think that is going to help me that much because games like this are decided on the smallest things, maybe one player doing something special.

“The way to beat an English team is to keep hold of the ball as they have a very distinct way of playing but I think that it is going to be very difficult to win.”

But Deco admitted Chelsea have one key factor that could influence the encounter – Mourinho.

“He was crucial to us winning the Champions League last season as he gave us the belief, he has a special personality and everyone knows what they should be doing which is very important for a player.

“As well as this of course we had a good team with a lot of will to win,” he added.

Barcelona defender Juliano Belletti believes the priority is to keep a clean sheet.

“It is going to be a great match but we have to look at it from a different perspective,” he said.

“It is a long time since the club won any trophy and we cannot lose concentration as we are playing against a big team. We mustn’t concede a goal,” he added.

Defender Oleguer Presas is the only doubt for Frank Rijkaard’s team with a groin strain.