Shevchenko not seeking revenge

Posted Tuesday, October 20, 2009 by PA

Jose Mourinho and Andriy Shevchenko will renew acquaintances on Tuesday night when Inter Milan host Dynamo Kiev at the San Siro.

Former AC Milan great Shevchenko spent one season at Chelsea under Mourinho but never found any success in London.

Since that 2006-07 campaign both have moved on, with Mourinho now in his second year at Inter and Shevchenko back in his homeland after a miserable spell upon his return to AC Milan.

There was reported friction between the two when they were together in England but Shevchenko said: "Will I go out in search of revenge against Mourinho? Absolutely not.

"I have nothing personal against Mourinho. Mourinho has never behaved badly towards me. There have been many stories made up by the English press about us."

Mourinho also only has good things to say about Shevchenko.

"Sheva is always Sheva," he said. "After Raul he is the top active scorer in the Champions League.

"I don't think about what he has achieved in the past but rather what he is doing now.

"Sheva is playing well, he is the leader at Dynamo and I see him as a great player."

Inter go into Tuesday's encounter on the back of a 5-0 thrashing of Genoa, a result which took the Nerazzurri top of the Serie A standings.

They will now look to display that form in European competition, something they have failed to do so far in Group F with a 0-0 draw against defending champions Barcelona and 1-1 draw at Rubin Kazan.

"I don't think the game against Dynamo is crucial," said Mourinho. "There are still 12 points up for grabs.

"This is a dangerous game because Dynamo are strong physically and tactically. They have fast players and have very good strikers.

"In case of defeat, I still think that 11 points would be sufficient to qualify. But a victory would give us peace of mind."

Mourinho will be hoping his team will again overcome the absence of several key players.

Samuel Eto'o, Diego Milito and Thiago Motta missed the game against Genoa while Argentina midfielder Esteban Cambiasso sustained an injury at the weekend and is doubtful.

"I don't know if Eto'o and Cambiasso will be able to play," Mourinho said. "We have a glimmer of hope that Milito will recover but with Motta we will not take any risk and he will probably return to play next weekend."

Dynamo, who are second in the table, one point clear of Inter, travel to Milan in buoyant mood.

The Ukrainian giants are cruising in the domestic league, having remained unbeaten while winning nine of their 10 games.

Shevchenko is confident his team can have a say in Europe.

"Our aim is to progress past the group stages," he said. "We have a young team that battles until the end and we will not be intimidated by Inter."