Sarri hoping for Mourinho reunion in Champions League as Juventus & Spurs wait on last-16 draw

Maurizio Sarri claims it would be “great” to take in a Champions League reunion with fellow former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, with Juventus and Tottenham waiting on the draw for the last-16.

The Bianconeri breezed through their Group D campaign to reach the knockout stages, with their table topped after collecting five wins and a draw from six outings.

They will now face one of the runners-up in the next round, meaning that a heavyweight date with Spurs could be set.

Mourinho, who has previously landed European football’s biggest prize with Porto and Inter, is chasing down continental glory once more with the third English club of his coaching career.

It was during a spell at Manchester United that the Portuguese crossed swords with Sarri, who was taking in a one-season stint with Chelsea in 2018-19.

Two men with plenty in common could be about to go head-to-head once more, with Sarri claiming to be excited by that possibility.

He told reporters after seeing Juve overcome Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 on Wednesday: “I had the honour of getting to know him [Mourinho] and I really hold him in high regard.

“He is an extraordinary person that is very different from the perception that the outside world has of him.

“I am convinced it was a real pleasure to get to know him. Playing against him isn’t easy, but seeing him again would great.”

Sarri believes Juve are well-placed to kick on towards the business end of Champions League competition, with recent flaws in their domestic game having been ironed out in Leverkusen.

He added to Sky Sport Italia: “It’s important to keep a sense of balance. We lost against Lazio, but for long periods it was one of our best games of the season,

“It was tough game against a side that is doing very well in the Bundesliga this season. We held out and as soon as their tempo dropped, we stepped up to take the points.”

Defending Serie A champions Juventus will return to action on Sunday with a home date against Udinese, with Miralem Pjanic and Juan Cuadrado set to sit out that game through suspension.

Sarri said of his plans: “We hope to get Rodrigo Bentancur back soon, we’ll have a look. If he is out too, then someone else will take the role. The issue is not who plays, but keeping this level of focus and balance.”