Jose Mourinho: Okan Buruk doesn't get a card, but I do

Fenerbahçe will host French side Lille tomorrow in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round.

The match, which will be played at the Şükrü Saraçoğlu Stadium and start at 20:00, will be officiated by Spanish referee Jose Maria Sanchez.

Sanchez will be assisted by his compatriots Inigo Prieto and Juan Lopez Mir. Guillermo Cuadra will serve as the fourth official for the match.

Having lost the first leg 2-1 away, the Yellow-Navies will try to secure the result that will take them to the play-off round in front of their home fans.

Ahead of this critical match, Fenerbahçe manager Jose Mourinho made statements at a press conference.

"I DON'T CARE WHAT THE LILLE PRESIDENT SAYS"

Mourinho began his remarks as follows:

I don't care what the Lille president says; I don't even know his name. Meunier is an experienced player, I respect what he says, but it is not important to me what he says.

"IF YOU CRITICIZE ME, YOU BECOME FAMOUS"

Responding to his critics, Mourinho said:

In Portugal, they say, 'The tree that bears fruit gets stoned.' It is normal to be criticized when you have many trophies. The same applies to journalists; if you criticize me, you become famous.

"IT'S DIFFICULT BUT WE WILL TRY"

Jose Mourinho continued his words:

The new format of the Champions League has nothing to do with the qualifiers. I have always worked in countries with high national coefficients. In such countries, you qualify directly for the Champions League. This situation is actually the result of the results obtained by all Turkish teams in European matches. This is not just Fenerbahçe's problem. For example, in Italy, Roma played in two European finals in 2 years, Inter once, and Atalanta once. In Turkey, the team that finishes second has to play 6 matches to qualify for the Champions League; this is difficult, but we will try.

"THE GALATASARAY MANAGER DOESN'T GET A CARD, BUT I DO"

Speaking about Galatasaray and Okan Buruk, the Portuguese manager said the following:

The only thing I am sure of is that the Galatasaray manager doesn't get a card when he enters the pitch by 4 meters, but I do when I enter by 1 meter. A Galatasaray player can punch another player in the face and not get a card. I learned this in the first week.

Speaking about the Süper Lig, the world-famous manager said:

There are very competitive matches in the Turkish League, I have seen this. Teams know how to defend and can make the opponent lower the tempo. Sivasspor, Samsunspor, these are good teams...

"MERT AND ÇAĞLAR WILL PLAY"

Stating that Mert Müldür and Çağlar Söyüncü will play, Mourinho made the following assessment:

I rotate in positions where I have players with similar characteristics. For example, Mert Müldür and Çağlar will play tomorrow. We can rotate according to the match in positions where we have good options.

"I WANT FERDİ TO STAY"

Mourinho said he wants Ferdi Kadıoğlu to stay.

If you get too caught up in rumors, you will be in trouble. I want Ferdi to stay in the team, but this is a matter above me. Ferdi is a great professional, a very good kid. He works very hard in training every day. I hope he stays with us.

"I AM NOT THINKING ABOUT FRED"

Jose Mourinho continued his striking remarks as follows:

I am not thinking about a new player who might arrive or Fred right now. The only thing I am thinking about right now is my players who will play tomorrow. I am thinking about preparing the team for the match in the best way possible. We played a match 48 hours ago, but Lille did not. I want to focus on the names I have available, such as İsmail, Krunic, Szymanski, Zajc, and Mert Hakan.

"WE MUST BE CALM"

The Portuguese manager concluded his statements as follows:

If we score 7 goals, conceding 6 is fine with me. However, if we cannot score and do not concede, we will be eliminated. A pragmatism regarding numbers emerges. We must be calm and enjoy the match. Tomorrow, the whole stadium will be behind us.