Chelsea are in a different league to you lot, says Jose

The fixtures may be coming thick and fast for a team chasing an unprecedented Quadruple, but Mourinho still found time to rummage through Rafael Benitez's washing pile and pick out one or two items for closer inspection.

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Talk about squeaky-bum time. While the Stamford Bridge trophy room has yet to show off a Chelsea Champions League success, Mourinho picked holes in the fabric of a club that boasts five European Cups.

According to Mourinho, Liverpool are still dining out on their former glories and he claimed, without hesitation, that he would have been sacked by Chelsea if he had failed to deliver the League title in his time in charge.

That particular honour has been a thorn in Liverpool's side since 1990 and Mourinho capitalised on an apparent anomaly in Benitez's otherwise excellent record at Anfield with a typically acerbic attack.

He said: "Historically, Liverpool are not a big club — they are a monster. But in the last few years, they have only succeeded in knockout competitions.

"Maybe it's only a moment. I am not a statistic man, but in the last three seasons, including this one, Chelsea have had 60 more points than Liverpool."

It is actually 58, but the conclusions are clear: Benitez is still getting under his skin.

The Liverpool boss delivered an instant riposte to Mourinho's attempts to unsettle the Liverpool side before they trained on the pitch at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night.

"It depends on the money you spend in the last five years and then you can see the value of each point," he said.

Mourinho still, somewhat childishly, refuses to accept Luis Garcia's winner in the Champions League semi-final two seasons ago — a goal which left Chelsea captain John Terry in tears at coming so close to reaching the final for the second successive season.

The Chelsea boss claimed Liverpool striker Dirk Kuyt deliberately bent the rules to earn a booking at PSV Eindhoven in the previous round to ensure that he would be available for this evening's first leg and he also claims Didier Drogba will be targeted.

Drogba is one of four Chelsea players walking a disciplinary tightrope — Joe Cole and Lassana Diarra join the injured Michael Ballack on that list — and Mourinho highlighted Liverpool's over-zealous players for the benefit of German referee Markus Merk.

Mourinho added: "When you see Kuyt getting booked in the last minute against PSV it's because he wants to be out of the second leg so that he is clean for the rest of the competition.

"It wouldn't surprise me if they chase Drogba for 90 minutes to try to get him suspended for the second leg."

Benitez countered by claiming Chelsea similarly went after Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso two years ago.

Mourinho stopped short of calling Liverpool "cheats", but there is an under-current between the two managers that stems from their Champions League semi-final two years ago.

While Liverpool's hopes for a trophy are pinned solely on the Champions League, as in 2005, Mourinho claimed it eased Benitez's preparation for the game.

He said: "They have been able to rest players. Steven Gerrard did not play in their last game but do you think Frank Lampard is in the same condition? It is not a fair fight."

That might be fanciful thinking on Mourinho's part, but it was enough to bring Wednesday night's first leg nicely to the boil.