Roberto Mancini makes a subtle dig at Jose Mourinho

Galatasaray manager Roberto Mancini has claimed that his side have little hope of knocking Chelsea out of the Champions League in their last-16 tie with the west Londoners, reports the Evening Standard.

Jose Mourinho’s side visit the hostile Turk Telekom Arena in the first leg on Wednesday but former Manchester City boss Mancini does not believe that his team will be able to use their home advantage to turn the tie in their favour.

“We don’t have a lot of chance, even at home. Chelsea are better, one of the best teams in Europe.

“But for Galatasaray to just play Chelsea is an important moment and we need to do a good job,” he declared.

Mancini was sacked by Serie A outfit Internazionale in 2008 despite winning the Scudetto three years in a row and was later replaced by Mourinho. The Portuguese led the Italians to an unprecedented treble, including a Champions League crown, but Mancini believes he should take some of the credit for the triumph.

“Mourinho won the Champions League because he took a good team. He took a team that, like Manchester City, I had built,” he insisted.

Mancini’s stubborn approach and reluctance to shoulder some of the blame for Manchester City’s failures during his time at the Etihad makes it ironic that he is now keen to share the success that his former clubs have enjoyed in his absence.

With such a daunting task ahead of them the Galatasaray players, who boast former west London favourite Didier Drogba in their ranks, will hardly be impressed that their manager has shown little faith in their ability to pull off a shock before a ball has even been kicked.