Ex-Porto boss fires back: “I always beat Benfica because…” | OneFootball

Jose Mourinho, coach of Fenerbahçe, recently previewed the match against Benfica. The Portuguese coach recalled his time at Porto and the clashes he had with the Eagles, in addition to also addressing the issue related to Kerem Akturkoglu.

"If he plays tomorrow, he plays for Benfica. And if he plays in Lisbon next week, he plays for Benfica. So, it makes absolutely no sense to me to think of Kerem as a player of Fenerbahçe, because he is not. I have to think of him as a Benfica player and with the possibility that he will play against us", he began to explain, not wanting to reveal his hand.

Jose Mourinho continued, and recalled the Eusébio Cup game (3-2 for Benfica): "I changed, Bruno changed, many substitutions, little focus on what the result was. We wanted to try things, shape the players. I don't think there's any conclusion to draw from that game. I focus much more on the league game and the two games against Nice than on that game at Luz".

Jose Mourinho plays, against Benfica, the first qualification for the main Champions League table in over five years. The Portuguese coach has not competed in the millionaire tournament since 2019/20, when he led Tottenham and fell in the round of 16. Before ending the conference, he recalled the times when he coached in Portugal.

"I always beat Benfica because my teams were better than Benfica. My FC Porto was much better than Benfica, my Manchester United was better than Benfica, my UD Leiria at that time... was not as good as Benfica... well, maybe it was better than Benfica, and that's why my teams often beat Benfica", concluded Jose Mourinho.

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