The Reds need at least a point to confirm a place in the Europa League knockout stages and the boss is aware the trophy is the only major piece of silverware the club has never won.
With New Year dates against Hull City in the last four of the EFL Cup already secured and a home FA Cup third-round tie with Reading also on the horizon, there is all to play for.
There are also six Premier League fixtures to tackle by the end of the second day of 2017, with United the only English team still in four competitions, and Mourinho is eager to see how his team performs.
"I always like the knockout competitions," he told MUTV. "Especially when they go to crucial moments. Thursday is a crucial moment, despite it being a group stage.
"We're in the semi-final in the League Cup, we're in the FA Cup, plus the Premier League. I love to play. I love to train but I prefer to play."
Feyenoord's clash with Fenerbahce is certain to have a bearing on United's position in Group A but the boss is more concerned with qualifying rather than fretting on topping the standings.
"We know one point is enough," he added. "We know the result in Rotterdam also has an influence, but I just want to be focused on our game. Try to win, try to be in a position where we don't suffer, where we're not in trouble. Let's try to win but knowing a point is enough.
"To be honest, I don't think [winning the group] is very important. The second leg at home or away doesn't have a big influence. The most important thing is to qualify from what's probably the most difficult group in the Europa League and a group that has more quality than some Champions League groups.
"It's a difficult group. Even Zorya, you can see how difficult they are because, at home, they have two draws and have only lost 1-0 away to us and Feyenoord and 2-0 to Fenerbahce with 10 men.
"Against Feyenoord [at home], a defeat would have put us out of the competition. The first time we were in trouble, we coped very well with the pressure. We played well, we won quite comfortably. That pleased me and, at home, we've given the fans three matches, three victories and nine points. Away from home, our performance went down and we have to improve that.
"The team is playing very well," he continued. "In the Europa League, the last game was crucial for us - we proved we want to qualify. We are playing good teams, with people with strong desire to go through. It's a competition the club has never won. If we can do that, it will be phenomenal."
No comments:
Post a Comment