Former Inter Sporting Director Marco Branca feels that despite the emotional aspect of returning to the San Siro this evening, Roma coach Jose Mourinho will be completely focused on his own team.

Speaking to Turin-based newspaper Tuttosport, the former Nerazzurri executive emphasized that the coach’s only priority will be getting the result for his team in the Coppa Italia quarter-final clash.

Mourinho still has a strong link to the Nerazzurri and its fans despite having parted ways with the club more than a decade ago.

The Portugueuse coach’s return as an adversary in this evening’s knockout clash will undoubtedly carry an emotional undercurrent as he faces up against a team who he enjoyed unprecedented success with in the past.

However, Mourinho must keep his focus on what’s best for his current side, and Branca has no doubt that the coach will not be distracted by the emotions of the occasion and will mainly be working on guiding the Giallorossi to a win.

He predicted that Mourinho “Will surely be emotional upon seeing those colours, those shirts. On the other hand, he will be totally focused on his Roma.”

He went on that “Mou is totally immersed in his current adventure. Perhaps this will also be helped by the only people remaining from his Inter are Ausilio and Zanetti.”

“Mou will be excited to see the fans, the Curva, the chants,” he added. “He will be welcomed as he deserves to be, and he’ll be happy. He’ll feel at home, in short. But then he’ll put all that behind him to take charge of the match.”

Branca also related an anecdote of the transfer window that he worked on with Mourinho, stating that “His preferences were to sign Carvalho and Deco.”

“During our first together we greatly improved our personal and working relationship,” he went on, “we both had to gain that trust, that complete transparency in communicating with each other.”

“Sometimes I convinced him on something, other times he convinced me,” he added. “So in the following season, given the problems with signing certain players, we agreed on the alternatives.”

He explained that “Mou doesn’t dwell on one name, if the alternative is equally good, he is willing to make a different choice, without wasting time.”