Tuesday’s briefing: Mourinho back at the Bridge and Nuno begins reign with draw

Jose Mourinho is preparing to make a high-profile return to Stamford Bridge just as pressure starts to ratchet up on current Chelsea chief Enzo Maresca.

Mourinho will take his new side Benfica to the club with whom he won three Premier League titles, but there will be no room for sentiment in their Champions League clash.

Liverpool and Tottenham travel to Galatasaray and Bodo/Glimt respectively, while Nuno Espirito Santo’s journey with West Ham got off to an attempted start after a 1-1 draw at Everton.

Jose Mourinho insists he still has Chelsea in his heart

Jose Mourinho insisted he will “always be a blue” as he returned to Stamford Bridge ahead of Benfica’s Champions League meeting with Chelsea.

The three-time Premier League winner was appointed on September 18 by the Lisbon giants and will lead his new team out on Tuesday for what will be his eighth match in the visiting dugout at the ground he used to call home.

He remains the Blues’ most successful manager despite twice being sacked by former owner Roman Abramovich.

Speaking to the media inside the stadium’s Ted Drake Suite – where the walls are adorned with framed photos of the 62-year-old clutching the Premier League trophy – he said: “Of course I will always be a blue.

“I’m part of their history and they are part of mine. I helped them become a bigger Chelsea and they helped me become a bigger Jose.”

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca, who has a long way to go to achieve similar levels of affection after Saturday’s abject home loss to Brighton, said: “It’s a privilege to face Jose – a legend for this club.”

Hugo Ekitike welcomes competition for places at Anfield

Hugo Ekitike believes Alexander Isak’s presence will help his development as the young striker welcomed the increased competition at Liverpool.

Arne Slot’s Premier League champions made waves in the summer transfer window, with the 23-year-old following the likes of Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez to Anfield.

Ekitike has hit the ground running, scoring five goals in eight appearances in all competitions, but will be pressured by British record signing Alexander Isak.

“I think it’s good with players in such a big club,” Ekitike said. “I can’t see one big club playing with only one striker, so I think it’s good that he’s here.”

Tottenham forward Dominic Solanke undergoes surgery

Thomas Frank has confirmed Tottenham forward Dominic Solanke has undergone minor surgery to get to the bottom of his problematic ankle injury.

Solanke, who last played for Spurs on August 23 against Manchester City, was absent from training again on Monday ahead of the Champions League fixture away to Bodo/Glimt on Tuesday.

England forward Solanke had returned to training earlier this month before he was pulled out last week, but Frank revealed in Norway that a final decision had been made to go down the surgery route.

“Dom has got that ankle issue that’s been bothering him for a little while, so now we’ve decided to do a minor surgery,” Spurs boss Frank told a press conference.

“It’s a small procedure, so that will mean he is not ready for today of course and of course Leeds (on Saturday) as well. We’ll have more news about a timeframe after the international break, but I don’t expect it to be long.”

Nuno Espirito Santo says Hammers have hard work ahead

Nuno Espirito Santo admitted West Ham “have a lot of work” to do although he was encouraged at his reign starting with a battling 1-1 draw at Everton.

The Portuguese was appointed Hammers head coach on Saturday after Graham Potter was sacked, with the club 19th in the Premier League table after starting their season with four defeats in five matches.

Having overseen just a couple of training sessions, Nuno saw his side fall behind to Michael Keane’s 18th-minute header but Jarrod Bowen’s deflected strike after 65 minutes was enough to snare them a point.

“First impression is I think the team competed well,” Nuno said. “This is a tough, tough place to come. It was a good game, intense, both teams had chances.

“We are starting now. We have a lot of work in front of us but we are delighted and we embrace the challenge. The players that came in did well and this is what we expect from our squad.”

What’s on today?

Newly-appointed Benfica boss Jose Mourinho heads back to Stamford Bridge looking to cause an upset in the second phase of this season’s Champions League group games. Elsewhere Liverpool face an intimidating date with Galatasaray in Istanbul, and Tottenham travel to face Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt.

Highlights of a packed Championship programme include a clash between early front-runners Middlesbrough and Stoke at the Riverside Stadium, while Chris Wilder’s Sheffield United seek their second straight win against struggling Southampton.