Mourinho assesses Kerem Aktürkoğlu ahead of Benfica match

Fenerbahçe's experienced head coach Jose Mourinho appeared before the press ahead of the first leg of the UEFA Champions League play-off match against Benfica. Responding to questions regarding Kerem Aktürkoğlu's potential transfer to Fenerbahçe, Mourinho said, "Kerem will be on the pitch for Benfica tomorrow. I cannot think of him in a Fenerbahçe jersey. There is a possibility he will play against us."

Mourinho also touched upon the importance of fan support, stating, "Our fans helped us a lot in the Feyenoord match, and we achieved our goal. We might not be able to negatively affect Benfica; they are used to playing in difficult atmospheres. However, I am sure they can positively affect our own players. When we were 1-0 down against Feyenoord, we felt the power of the fans and took a 4-2 lead. Therefore, even though tomorrow is the first leg and not a decisive match, our fans must have the same mentality. They must help us just like they did in the Feyenoord match."

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE AND THE TURKISH LEAGUE

Mourinho stated that the Champions League is a different platform from the Turkish League, saying, "To be honest, there is not much of a connection between the Turkish League and the Champions League. Being in the Champions League will add very positive things for us. In terms of economy and brand, playing against the best teams is very important. In this format, there will not be 3, but 8 opponents. Therefore, playing in the Champions League is very positive. In the Europa League, we have a higher probability of winning. I think there are many positive things in the Champions League, and if we end up in the Europa League, we can still do great things. There is no connection between the Champions League and the Turkish League. The biggest challenge is that Europa League matches are on Thursdays and league matches are on Sundays. This is a bit more complicated. Because, in the Champions League, you play on Tuesday or Wednesday."

ATTENTION TO BENFICA'S STRENGTH

Drawing attention to Benfica's strength, Mourinho said, "Benfica is much stronger than Feyenoord. When we eliminated Feyenoord, I said 'Benfica is not happy either.' Maybe they are happy, I don't know. As the Fenerbahçe coach, I would have preferred Nice. Because Benfica is much stronger. We have to play much better because Benfica plays better than Feyenoord. They have strong players, a good coach, they defend well, and they had a good training camp. They know how to play on the counter-attack. They have good substitutes and many solutions. They are a Champions League team. They are an opponent that should be played in the Champions League, not in the qualifiers. We had mistakes against Feyenoord, we conceded 4 goals. If we concede 4 goals against Benfica, we cannot score 5. Therefore, we must play better."

News Source: 12punto