Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho thinks his side will knock Manchester United out of the Champions League but expects the tie to go down to the wire.

Five years ago Mourinho's Porto famously ended United's European campaign thanks to a late goal by Costinha at Old Trafford.

Mourinho and Sir Alex Ferguson are in opposition again tomorrow when their sides meet in the first leg of their last-16 clash at the San Siro.

The former Chelsea boss said: “I have told the players that they have got to go into this tie and not be afraid of the possibility of, in 15 days, Inter being out of Champions League.

“We have got to go into this tie thinking that in 15 days probably we can celebrate we have beaten the European champions. Nothing will be decided tomorrow. After the game, we will all have the feeling that there is going to be another great game at Old Trafford.

“Probably come the last minute at Old Trafford, nobody knows who is going to go through.”

Mourinho holds the upper hand over Ferguson having lost only once in 10 previous meetings while he was at Chelsea, but he does not expect that to be playing on the United manager's mind.

“He has a lot of faith in himself and his team, and rightly too,” he said. “If I am relaxed here now, he will certainly be the same, if not more relaxed than me.”

One of the main reasons Mourinho was appointed as successor to Roberto Mancini last summer was to make the club European champions for the first time since 1965.

“I don't think we have a block, I just think there are so many clubs in Europe who want to win the Champions League and not many of them can do it,” said Mourinho.