Jose Mourinho's Fenerbahce will host his old side Manchester United in the Europa League on Thursday (6:00 AM AEDT on Friday). Instead of talking about the game, the Portuguese manager talked at length about his time with the Red Devils.
The 61-year-old said that there is still a chance he can win the 2018 Premier League title if Manchester City are stripped of their championship by the Premier League.
“I think we can win the Premier League”: Mourinho jokes about Man City
Mourinho says 2018 title race is still on after City’s charges
The Premier League have charged Manchester City for allegedly breaching EPL financial rules 115 times between the 2009 and 2018 seasons
News Insights
- Man City allegedly violated EPL financial rules 115 times between 2009 and 2018.
- Mourinho’s Man Utd finished second to Man City in 2018.
- The EPL have charged Man City for their alleged rule breaches.
- Man City could be stripped of their titles if the EPL wins the case.
Winner’s medal and bonus for Mourinho
In his pre-match press conference on Wednesday, Jose Mourinho was asked to reflect on his time as Manchester United between 2016 and 2018.
The former Real Madrid manager revealed that he “didn’t lose one minute thinking about” his past at Man Utd. He affirmed that, while he wished the club the best, he has moved on from his time at Old Trafford.
However, Mourinho added that: “ I think we still have a chance to win that league because maybe they will punish Man City with points and they have to pay me the bonus and give me the medal.”
Mourinho backs Ten Hag
In addition to reflecting on his time as Manchester United manager, ‘the Special One’ also talked about the Red Devils’ current boss, Erik ten Hag.
Mourinho says that he thinks the Dutchman is doing a good job. He also assured the media that he was not trying to play mind games with them or with ten Hag.
“Maybe you English guys think I’m bluffing, playing mind games. I’m not playing anything: they have a better team than results are showing,” Mourinho said, implying that ten Hag has been unlucky so far.
“I studied them the maximum I could. We watched everything in the Premier League, Twente and Porto. There is work there.
“They will succeed sooner or later. Hopefully sooner and before one day I go back to the Premier League and they become my opponents. At this moment they are just my opponents for one match.”
Fenerbahce vs. Man Utd preview
While Jose Mourinho says that Man Utd are doing a good job so far, the sports betting world is not convinced. Most soccer betting sites only have the Red Devils as narrow favourites to beat Mourinho’s Fenerbahce.
PlayUp gives Man Utd $2.30 odds of winning the match, while Fenerbahce has $2.85 chances of coming out on top.
Many reports from England claim that a loss to Mourinho could lead to Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Man Utd firing Erik ten Hag.
Conclusion
Our soccer betting experts think the Red Devils have enough to beat Fenerbahce, but it will not be easy. Like with all Man Utd games, we think this will be a chaotic game with lots of chances for both sides.
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