Roma boss Jose Mourinho relishes a reunion with Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso when the two sides meet in their Europa League semi-final first leg on Thursday.
Mourinho coached Alonso at Real Madrid between 2010 and 2013.
Together they won the La Liga title, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup.
“I haven’t seen him for a long time,” Mourinho said. “We have always had a fantastic relationship, more than between a coach and a player.”
Alonso, who took charge of Leverkusen last October, is also eager to face Mourinho as a manager for the first time.
“Of course it’s special for me to play against him,” said the former Liverpool midfielder.
“I had a great time with him and learned a lot from him. Mourinho knows how to inspire a team and he was always a leader.
“I can’t wait to see it, but when the match starts I will be completely focused on the events on the pitch and will devote all my energy exclusively to working with my team.”
Roma have reached the semi-finals of European competition for the third consecutive season but are currently in difficult form, having failed to win any of their last four games.
Mourinho expects a tough challenge from Alonso, who he says is one of Europe’s best counter-attacking teams.
“They are very dangerous at this point in the game, they defend, wait for the opponent to lose the ball and then it’s hard to stop them,” he added.
“He uses the style that best suits his players, five or six of them could run the 100m with Marcell Jacobs at the Olympics.”
