Fernandez took over as Porto boss late in the summer. However, the squad he inherited was very different to the one which Mourinho had assembled. Gone are star defenders Ricardo Carvalho and Paulo Ferreira (to Chelsea!) and the star attraction of the side, Deco (Barcelona), amongst others.

Yet it didn't stop Mourinho from saying: "This Porto team is stronger than the one I had and, for that reason, will be the favourites to win Group H.

"I understand why the new Porto manager is not happy when I say that because maybe he does not like this pressure. But it is a fact that Porto's current squad is much richer in terms of options available."

This led to a fierce rebuke from Fernandez, who said: "I would never dare to evaluate the potential of a rival team from so far away. Chelsea signed the players they understood to be Porto's best and they paid well for them.

"Porto are already the champions of Europe while Chelsea have spent more than any other club buying players so it stands to reason they must have the greatest demands to justify themselves."

Is Mourinho the new Fergie with his mind games??