Monaco coach says Porto favored in Champions League final

AS Monaco coach Didier Deschamps insists his side will be underdogs in Wednesday's Champions League final against FC Porto.

Both sides made it against the odds. However, Porto has dominated in Portugal, while Monaco has yet to win a trophy under Deschamps.

"Even if they do not have the same prestige as clubs like AC Milan, they are the favorites to win this," said Deschamps, who guided France to a World Cup title in 1998.

Deschamps cited Porto's history in international tournaments, its dominance at home and its forceful style of play.

"They have the experience - they won the UEFA Cup last season as part of a treble with the Portuguese championship and the Portuguese cup," he said.

"They are a very aggressive team with very good players. They attack in numbers, they have a player in Deco in midfield who can hurt you and make the difference, and they defend very well. They are a very compact team who play aggressively and are very good at not letting their opponents play the way they want to."

Deschamps warned, however, that it would be foolish to write off Monaco's chances. He anticipates a tight, low-risk contest.

"Maybe we are less spectacular than the big clubs, but anything is possible," he said. "We have played against rivals who seem bigger than us and still beaten them."

"We will be playing to win, of course. But finals are seldom spectacular because there's so much at stake and everyone is concentrating on not making mistakes. I think it will start off as a very tactical match and the difference will be in the fine detail. Perhaps someone will take a risk and it will come off or someone will make a mistake and the other side will take advantage."

Just 35, Deschamps would be the youngest coach to lift the Champions League trophy. He has been linked with a move to Chelsea of the Premier League, although Juventus of Serie A appears his most likely destination.

At a news conference, he would not speak about whether he was intending to take a new job.

"I don't think this is an important question right now; I am not discussing that," he said. "I am just thinking about the final - that's the only objective in my mind."

"Of course it would be a special moment, but this is not about me. It's about the players. I can give them advice and pass on my experience, but it's their final."

Deschamps is not the only coach rumored to be on the move. Porto coach Jose Mourinho also has been mentioned as a possible replacement for Chelsea coach Claudio Ranieri, whose undoing may be a failure to get to the final of this tournament.

Raneiri guided Chelsea to a second-place finish in the Premier League, ahead of Manchester United and trailing only Arsenal, which posted an unprecedented unbeaten season. However, Chelsea lost on aggregate to Monaco in the Champions League semifinal earlier this month.

Ranieri met with Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon on Tuesday and still has his job - for now. The club made no public statement about Raneiri's long-term future.

Mourinho also is believed to be the leading candidate to succeed Gerard Houllier with Liverpool. He would not discuss whether he had signed a pre-contract agreement with Chelsea.

"It's a private question between me and Porto," he said.