Jose Mourinho travels to Barcelona next week for the next round of La Liga – which Real Madrid currently leading by one point - to play the second team in the league at the Camp Nou on Monday night on the foot of a 5 - 0 victory at the weekend over Athletic Bilbao. Mourinho arrives once again season to the club where he once worked with the late Sir Bobby Robson which will guarantee him the fiercest of Catalan welcomes – as is customary for all encounters with Real Madrid matches.
The home side have lost only one match in 12 outings and at the weekend Pep Guardiola’s team dispatched Almeria by eight goals to nil with the visitors also undefeated in the same number of outings.
The added background of the last meeting of the two managers in April in the Champions League semi-final, when Barça’s travel plans were affected by the volcanic ash over Europe's airways, and played after a 14-hour coach journey – adds to the intensity. On that night Pep’s side lost 3-1 in the San Siro and then were unable to reverse the setback in the home leg a week later.
So the clash promises to be everything that gives these encounters the name - El Clasico.
The seven days started well with Mourinho joined the League Managers Association's Hall of Fame this week - and declared himself "proud" of the achievement.
The former Chelsea manager, now in charge of Real Madrid, was speaking as a guest of honour at the League Manager Association’s annual Hall of Fame dinner at London's Park Lane hotel and joins Sir Alex Ferguson, Sir Matt Busby, Bob Paisley and Arsene Wenger in the Hall of Fame.
Mourinho said: "I am very proud of this because I am not British and I spent just over three years in the Premier League - which is not a significant time to create a big history.
"But the time I spent here was the best time of my career so far - and that's despite winning the Champions League in Portugal and Italy.
"This is special for me as I get to see people I like very much and respect. I still have a home here and me and my family are still in love and will always be in love with this country. So to be back is almost to be at home.
"The atmosphere, the intensity and the emotion in England is something you cannot compare with other countries and for somebody who is really in love with the game, as I am, this is the place where you enjoy it the most."
But first there is Champions League action on Tuesday night for Real Madrid, who will be looking for one point in Amsterdam to secure the top spot in their group – having qualified after the 2- 2 draw with AC Milan in Italy two weeks ago.
AFC Ajax will be hoping to avenge their September defeat by the Madrid club in order to have a chance of progressing from Group G with the Dutch team holding the better record having recorded four wins and two losses in seven encounters between the two clubs.
Barcelona play on Wednesday night in Athens in their Group D match with Panathinaikos and hope to maintain their unbeaten record. The Catalan club make the trip without Gabriel Milito after the 30-year-old tore a muscle in his right thigh last week.
Panathinaikos have other headaches as they have just appointed Jesualdo Ferreira as their new coach, with the 64-year-old arriving five days after Nikos Nioplias left the club. The Portuguese coach has signed a contract until June 2012.
Ferreira has managed several sides in his homeland but made his name at the helm of SC Braga (2003-06) then FC Porto (2006-09), where he won three consecutive league titles and two Portuguese Cups. He departed after the Porto missed out on a UEFA Champions League spot last season before a short spell with Málaga CF this term.
Panathinaikos are bottom of Group D with only two points from four matches.
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