Newcastle vs Benfica: Eddie Howe says Jose Mourinho is a visionary

“As a younger coach, I was really impressed by the teams he built at Chelsea, in particular.

“He’s definitely a visionary – someone who broke the mold in terms of how to manage and different ways of doing things, and then continued his success through different clubs and leagues. It’s really incredible what he has achieved in his career.”

“It’s always a great opportunity for any club to face one of their teams. I’m really looking forward to the challenge and I think it’s going to be a great game.”

Mourinho considers himself a ‘little magpie’ due to his relationship with former Newcastle manager Sir Bobby Robson.

The Portuguese accompanied Sir Bobby to Sporting Lisbon, Porto and Barcelona as a translator and assistant in the 1990s.

Mourinho has spoken glowingly of Newcastle over the years and said he “loved” the club ahead of this match.

“I heard Jose’s words about Newcastle and I repeat them myself,” Howe said.

“Those are great words about Sir Bobby and the role he played in his career. Really nice to hear, but the line stops tomorrow.

“When the match starts, we want to win. We are desperate to get points. It will be a competitive match between two great teams.”

Newcastle lost 2-1 to Brighton in the English Premier League on Saturday and will conduct a late examination on influential midfielder Sandro Tonali, who is suffering from illness.

“We will give him every chance,” Howe said. “He was not in training today and he is a very important player, so we will use all the hours we have.”