Juventus boss Sarri would welcome last-16 clash with Mourinho´s Tottenham

Juventus head coach Maurizio Sarri would welcome a Champions League last-16 tie with Tottenham so that he can face off against “extraordinary” Jose Mourinho.

The Italian champions eased into the knockout stages with five wins and a draw in their Group D campaign, culminating in a 2-0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday.

Tottenham suffered a 3-1 loss at Bayern Munich in their final Group B match, meanwhile, but they were already assured of second place behind the German giants in Group B.

Juve and Tottenham could meet in the next round, with Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund, Lyon and Real Madrid other possible opponents for Juventus.

Good way to end our @championsleague group stage! See you in February! #championsleague #forzajuve #finoallafine pic.twitter.com/vqVDJ76B6A

— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) December 11, 2019

Mourinho claimed teams will be eager to avoid Tottenham, but Sarri is open to a reunion with the Portuguese, whom he previously faced off against during his time in the Premier League.

“I have had the honour of getting to know [Mourinho] and I hold him in high regard,” former Chelsea boss Sarri said at his post-match news conference.

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

“It was a real pleasure to get to know him. Playing against him isn’t easy, but seeing him again would be great.”

Round of 16 line-up

Who is looking most like champions?#UCL pic.twitter.com/ypx3pNd5CW

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) December 11, 2019

Juventus are joined in Monday’s draw by fellow group winners Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Liverpool, Barcelona, RB Leipzig and Valencia.

Asked which side he considers favourites to go all the way and lift the famous trophy, Sarri replied: “Manchester City.”

Juventus return to Serie A action on Sunday with a home match against Udinese.