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‘I’ll never be afraid’ – Mourinho bigs up Spurs quality ahead of crunch UCL clash

Jose Mourinho has hailed the quality of his Tottenham squad as he prepares to oversee his first Champions League fixture in charge of the club.

The former Manchester United and Chelsea manager was last week named as Mauricio Pochettino’s successor at the North London side, and he will oversee his first home game in charge of Spurs when they host Greek side Olympiakos tonight.

The two-times Champions League winner admits he is excited about the possibility of returning to European action, having been appointed as manager of last season’s runners-up.

Spurs will secure their passage into the knock-out stages once again with victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and Mourinho admits he harbours ambitions of lifting the coveted trophy for a third time.

“With these boys I will never be afraid of a Champions League match,” Mourinho told his pre-match press conference.

“We need to qualify. It’s only when my teams arrive in the quarter-finals that I start thinking ‘we have a chance’. In this moment we are far from it.

“Every Champions League campaign there are details around your success or failure. How many times I lost on penalties or in the last minute. Details make the difference.

“As for Spurs last season, they had little details for them. VAR [Video Assistant Referee] was with them [against Manchester City], the Lucas [Moura] goal in Amsterdam [against Ajax]. To arrive in the final is an achievement but not history.

“I love the competition as much as everyone in football. Not everyone has the privilege of being a Champions League winner. I have done it two times and would love to add a third.”