Mourinho: Results not revenge motivate Real

Jose Mourinho says Real Madrid will have no shortage of motivation as they prepare to visit Lyon in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Ligue 1 side Lyon became something of a nemesis for Real in recent seasons, and were responsible for eliminating the Spanish giants in the 2009/10 competition’s Round of 16.

With Mourinho at the helm, Real gained revenge last season, disposing of Lyon at the same stage to reach the quarter-finals for first time in seven seasons.

Drawn against each other in this year’s group stage, the La Liga side recorded a comfortable 4-0 victory at their Santiago Bernabeu home on October 19.

But Real are yet to entirely banish their Lyon demons, with a first victory at the Stade Gerland still eluding them after four visits.

Wednesday’s match affords Mourinho’s side an opportunity to cement their position at the top of Group D, while banishing memories of their troubles in southern France.

“We want to defeat Olympique Lyonnais because doing so would qualify us for the next round and we’d practically be group leaders for sure,” Mourinho said.

“The important thing is what we did last year, eliminating them for the first time; and also a fortnight ago, defeating them again.”

“These two victories make it easier to forget about the past. Our objective is to win in order to qualify.”

Real go into the match without the services of defenders Marcelo and Alvaro Arbeloa, as well as attacking midfielder Kaka.

But Mourinho is confident his squad are equipped to cope with the absentees, thanks to their considerable strength in depth.

“My team is better this year than it was last season,” he said.

“When the team is better it is harder for players to perform all the time.”

“When a team has more solutions it’s difficult for a player to always be a starter. We are more like a proper team now.”

“Last season we would’ve had a big problem playing here with the injuries we sustain today, but not this year.”