Real Madrid boss Mourinho ready to run Barcelona gauntlet

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho knows he faces a gauntlet at Barcelona on Monday night.

Mourinho is under no illusions about what could await him on Monday night.

"The fans in the Nou Camp will never forgive me for denying them the opportunity to win the Champions League at the Santiago Bernabeu," Mourinho told fifa.com.

"I'm a persona non grata as far as Barcelona supporters are concerned, so I'll get a hostile reception."

"That's just football. I beat them with Chelsea, then with Inter and now I'm coaching their fiercest rivals, Real Madrid. That's too many things in quick succession. The past (Mourinho's history at Barca) doesn't matter, it's what's happened recently that counts. That's the way football works."