Mourinho plays mind games before Fenerbahçe v Benfica: matter of principle | OneFootball

José Mourinho refuses to say that Fenerbahçe is the favorite in the tie against Benfica, as he considers the Eagles a Champions League team. The Portuguese coach spoke at the pre-match press conference about the clash, where he believes the Eagles have the advantage. Recall that the Portuguese coach received a ‘gift’ before the match.

“When we eliminated Feyenoord, I said that Benfica was not happy to play against Fenerbahçe, but maybe I was wrong. Maybe they think Feyenoord is better than us and they are happy to play against us. Maybe Benfica thinks ‘we are Benfica and it makes no difference to us whether we play Fenerbahçe or Feyenoord’. As Fenerbahçe’s coach, I would have preferred to play against Nice rather than Benfica. Because Benfica is stronger than Nice,” José Mourinho began by saying.

The Portuguese coach continued, with praise: “We have to play better. Benfica plays better than Feyenoord. It’s as simple as that. Benfica is strong, has strong players, has a good coach, the team is well-drilled, the team defends well, doesn’t concede goals, knows how to play in sustained attack, knows how to play on the counterattack, has a good bench, has many solutions. It’s a strong opponent. It’s a Champions League team, not a qualification team.”

“As a matter of principle, I refuse to say that Benfica is the favorite. But it’s just a matter of principle, because obviously I recognize their ability, quality, experience, the second leg at home. There are a number of factors that put Benfica on a higher level than us,” he added, stating that the Eagles have a certain advantage in the tie.

To conclude, José Mourinho showed his usual pragmatism: “I wanted Nice and it was Benfica, I wanted to play the second game at home and I’ll play the first at home. So, what I want is not what happens. We have to face reality, reality is Benfica and reality is the first game at home. Against Feyenoord everything was decided here at home and now nothing will be decided here at home. And that obviously makes a difference. I think about playing this game without thinking that there is a second game. Play to win, if we draw, we draw and go to the second game. If we lose by a small margin, life goes on, we go to Lisbon to fight. If we lose by a lot, obviously the shop is closed.”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.