Wolverhampton Wanderers boss Nuno Espirito Santo has praised Jose Mourinho ahead of the match at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this afternoon.
The two Portuguese coaches go back a long way with Mourinho having guided Porto to Champions League success in 2004 in which Santo was a member of the squad which beat Monaco 3-0.
Mourinho saw his Spurs side take all three points from the return fixture at Molineux earlier in the season when Jan Vertonghen headed in during injury time to seal a 2-1 victory.
Santo is building quite the reputation as a manager in the Black Country having previously managed Rio Ave, Valencia and Porto before heading to the Premier League.
Both sides meet in N17 with just a single point separating them. A victory for Spurs would help to close the gap on fourth-place Chelsea to just two points after Frank Lampard’s side were held to a 2-2 draw at Bournemouth yesterday.
Santo was asked by the Wolves official website about his relationship with Mourinho: “It’s very good.
“He’s a fantastic manager, I know him, I was his former player and I have a lot of admiration for Mourinho; it’s public, and now we are opponents.
“We are opponents, but always with the respect and admiration of all that Mourinho has achieved.”