- José Mourinho’s Fenerbahce will host Man United in the Europa League on Thursday
- Mourinho has played down his side’s chances of beating his former club
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Jose Mourinho has put pressure on Erik ten Hag by claiming Manchester United are favorites to win the Europa League and downplaying Fenerbahce’s chances of beating his old club in Istanbul on Thursday evening.
United arrive in Turkey on Wednesday for the third match of their European campaign after drawing their first two games against FC Twente and Mourinho’s former club Porto. Ten Hag’s team is also having a hard time in the Premier League, after winning three of the first eight games.
Mourinho suggested United have been more patient with Ten Hag than with him during his two-and-a-half year spell in which he won the Europa League and the League Cup, putting the Dutchman’s lack of progress into even sharper focus. .
“What has certainly happened, because it is very objective, is that they continue to have confidence in the coach, that they support the coach,” Mourinho said. ‘The coach stays season after season and that means stability, it means trust and they give him the conditions to continue developing his job. That was different for me.
‘They neither won nor lost (in the Europa League). Playing in Porto is not easy. Not easy for anyone. We also played against Twente. Of course the world expects Man United to beat Twente at Old Trafford.
Jose Mourinho has claimed that Manchester United are favorites to win the Europa League
‘One thing is the results that Man United are achieving and another thing is the potential of the team. The potential of the team is great and I think two draws in the Europa League are not in our favor, but neither do they make a big difference.
‘Thanks to this new format, the top teams can qualify. For a top team it is no problem to lose three or four out of eight games, because then they win three or four: 12 points. I think they are in a stable situation. What are the two biggest candidates to win the Europa League? It’s easy: Man United and Tottenham.’
In Thursday’s match, Mourinho also shifted the pressure on Ten Hag by claiming his side will be underdogs. Fenerbahce currently sit fourth in the Turkish Super Lig, eight points behind leaders and bitter rivals Galatasaray, who have played a game less.
“I am not the coach of Man United, but I see no reason for Man United to be afraid of Fenerbahce,” Mourinho said. ‘I think they know it’s not an easy game for them. If they think it’s easy, if they think it’s going to be easy, that’s the wrong approach.
Manager Erik ten Hag is under pressure after his team’s poor start to the season
‘Unfortunately for us, they know the game can be difficult for them and they will come with maximum strength. I don’t think they will make rotations for the next game against West Ham, I think they will come at full strength.
‘If we play Man United we need 35,000. We can’t play 11 against 11, we need 35,000 (fans) behind us.”