Gasperini salutes Mourinho's record but needles his spending ahead of Madrid return

Jose Mourinho will return to former club Roma when Real Madrid travel to Italy for Wednesday's Champions League clash, and Roma boss Gian Piero Gasperini has offered praise laced with a jibe at the Portuguese's reputation for big spending.

Gasperini said Mourinho will "deserve all the recognition he'll receive" from Roma supporters, but highlighted the coach's ability to convince clubs to invest heavily.

"Results speak for Jose. He’s one of the most successful coaches," Gasperini told Sky Sport Italia. "If I had to take one thing, it would be his ability to persuade clubs to buy extraordinary players and spend large sums of money; that is extraordinary."

"He's very good for the rest too, and his results. But that remains a great ability."

Madrid's dominance vs Roma's struggles

Mourinho's record in Europe remains formidable. Real Madrid have lost only one of their 19 group/league phase matches in the Champions League under him, with 15 wins and three draws.

Roma's recent history against Madrid is less favourable. The Giallorossi have lost each of their last four games in the competition against Real Madrid without scoring a goal – their joint-longest losing streak against an opponent in the European Cup/Champions League.

Gasperini acknowledged the gulf in stature.

"It's a bit difficult to have Real Madrid as a benchmark. In what they represent globally, they are the club with the most titles and the most fans worldwide," he added. "So, this isn't the comparison we should focus on; it's what happens on the pitch. We recently played Inter and Como, two of Italy's best teams, and now we face one of the best in Europe and the world."

"Our target is to measure ourselves against them to understand how competitive we can be."

Mourinho plays down sentiment

Mourinho guided Roma to Europa Conference League success in the 2021-22 season, winning the club's first trophy since 2008 and marking their maiden triumph in Europe. The Portuguese boss is not interested in sentiment ahead of the return fixture.

"It will be just another game. If I can forget who I'm playing against, and I'm doing that and will do it during the game, then it's just another game," Mourinho said in Tuesday's pre-match press conference.

"As I said before, we're not yet feeling the real pressure of the Champions League. Looking at what's still to come, I think Real Madrid and Roma will both qualify."

"Maybe before or after the game I'll put my hand on my heart, but during the game there will be no doubt. Roma want to win, and so do I. At that moment, love is forgotten."

Real Madrid arrive in Rome on the back of a 2-1 victory over Inter in their Champions League opener this campaign.