"I saw people on television insulting Mourinho," said Rijkaard, saying he hoped Barca supporters would react in "exemplary sporting fashion" when the teams step out for a match which Chelsea embark upon 2-1 down from the home leg.

"We've got to improve this aspect of football. When one of our players is insulted we get behind him," he added, referring to Mourinho's allegations of diving against Barca star Leo Messi, whose tangling with Blues' defender Asier del Horno in the first match saw the latter red-carded.

"It's up to us to show an example of sporting behaviour," said Rijkaard, saying Messi was unfazed by the whole fuss.

"Mourinho has achieved a lot as a coach and you've got to respect that.

"He also had a spell here (as assistant to former Barca coach Bobby Robson in the mid-1990s). He lived here, he has many friends here.

"I hope the fans will respect him, not insult him."

"I truly hope we can leave these things behind and see a wonderful game of football between two very strong teams.

The Del Horno affair followed last year's sending off of Chelsea's Ivorian forward Didier Drogba in a first leg meeting at the Nou Camp which Barca won 2-1 after initially going a goal down.

Chelsea ultimately advanced after a 4-2 win in the return but ill-feeling lingered amid an allegation by Mourinho that Rijkaard had gone to chat to Swedish referee Anders Frisk in the interval of the first game.

Frisk quit the game thereafter on receiving death threats from some Chelsea fans and Mourinho has hardly been flavour of the month in the Catalan metropolis since.

"I would like to separate two things - one sporting and the other humanity. We want to demonstrate to the world that we think differently, we respect opponents and we can applaud them," insisted Rijkaard, twice a European Champion with AC Milan.

With Mourinho having lambasted first-leg referee Terje Hauge for sending off Del Horno, whose initial three-match ban by UEFA has since been cut to a single game, Rijkaard refused to get into a debate on whether Chelsea's coach was trying to put pressure on second leg man in the middle Markus Merk.

"You'll have to ask him that. I think we'll have a good referee," said the Dutchman, groomed as a player at Ajax by Johan Cruyff, whom he hopes to emulate by leading Barca to the European Cup, Cruyff having delivered the trophy to the Catalan club for the only time in 1992.

Rijkaard said he was confident his team would build on their first-leg showing and advance to the quarterfinals, without counting his chickens.

"We still have to play against a very strong team. We have the advantage but we have to play one more game.

"We have the confidence we can do the job.