Lampard up for the challenge of outsmarting mentor Mourinho

● Caraboa Cup clash at Old Trafford sees Chelsea legends go head-to-head

1-1 draw against Wolves at the weekend leaving them seventh in the Premier League table.

Mourinho managed Lampard during his two spells in charge of Chelsea and left a lasting effect on the former England midfielder, and even gave him a congratulatory call following the recent birth of his third daughter.

The Derby boss said: “I’m looking forward to seeing him. On a personal level, [he is] a manager that was hugely influential on my career twice, but particularly the first time around. I respect him completely for that.

“It will be nice to see him and go up against one of his teams.”

He added: “You will find Jose Mourinho players being managers all over the place because he has been so successful in his career.” 0 Frank Lampard: Big respect for former boss Jose Mourinho.

Lampard expects his Derby side to face a tough test regardless of United’s relative struggles this season, adding: “It’s a very tough challenge.

“We know what we’re coming up against – a great Manchester United team who have been put together with quality everywhere you look.

“The fact we are on telly against one of the top teams in the Premier League is a great challenge for us.”

Despite the threats posed by the Premier League outfit, Lampard believes his players can perform well at Old Trafford. He said: “If we put in the energy and the focus that we had [against Brentford] then will make a good account of ourselves.

“What we can’t do is go there and walk away at the end of the game and say ‘oh, we should have done that, we should have shown more against this team or on this occasion’. We have to give everything.

“You have to approach a game so that it won’t pass you by. I want us to give an account that all those travelling fans, and I know there will be a lot of them, come away proud of their team.”

Extra-time in this season’s competition has been scrapped and four-time winner Mourinho last night explained his ambivalence at the idea.

He said: “I like the cups. I like the feeling of the knockout: you win you are in the competition, you lose you are out. I like that pressure and honestly I think fans also like it.

“In this moment you don’t even have the possibility of, after a draw, playing 30 more minutes – you go straight to a penalty shootout which obviously is a 50/50 situation.

“I think it’s good because no extra-time, no more extra minutes that we already have, especially the teams that are playing European competitions and especially when it goes to the end of the competitions – extra time is really, really difficult.

“But I think it is a good advantage to the teams that are not favourites because a draw takes the game immediately to a penalty shootout and we know that it’s a lottery.

“So there is a better chance for the teams not considered favourites, which brings more possibility of killing giants because how many times [do the] big teams in 30 minutes of extra-time win the ties?” TONIGHT (7:45pm unless stated)

Betfred Cup quarter-final:

Hibernian v Aberdeen

Caraboa Cup third round:

AFC Bournemouth v Blackburn, Blackpool v QPR, Burton Albion v Burnley, Man Utd v Derby (8.00), Millwall v Fulham, Oxford Utd v Man City, Preston North End v Middlesbrough, West Brom v Crystal Palace, Wolverhampton v Leicester, Wycombe v Norwich.

Skybet League Two:

Yeovil Town v Milton Keynes Dons