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JOSE MOURINHO: "DON'T MAKE ME LAUGH!" FOCUS IS NAPOLI, NOT MCTOMINAY REUNION

Jose Mourinho is ignoring former players like Scott McTominay, insisting his only concern is Benfica's must-win Champions League match against Italian champions Napoli.

Jose Mourinho: "Don't Make Me Laugh!" Focus is Napoli, Not McTominay Reunion
Jose Shrugs Off Former Players Before Crucial UCL Battle.

Jose Mourinho says his only concern is the game itself. He won't be thinking about seeing his old player, Scott McTominay, when Benfica plays Napoli.

Mourinho's return to Benfica hasn't been all smooth sailing since he took over from Bruno Lage last September.

His team is currently third in the league, eight points behind Porto and three behind Sporting, after their draw last Friday.

In the Champions League, Benfica is in a tough spot, sitting near the bottom of their group after only winning one of their first five games.

Mourinho wants to see a change tonight, but they'll have to play their best to beat Napoli, the current Italian league champions.

Napoli will be missing Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku due to injuries at Benfica’s stadium. Mourinho used to manage both when he was at Chelsea, and decided to let them leave.

McTominay, who Mourinho gave his debut at Manchester United, is ready to play for Napoli. He'll definitely want to keep up his good form against his former manager.

When asked if he was looking forward to seeing McTominay and Leonardo Spinazzola, whom he coached at Roma, Mourinho told reporters, Those nice things happen before and after the game. Nothing more.

During the match, I'm not focused on that.

We need to win against a very good team, and it's going to be tough.

We'll do everything we can to get the result we want.

Mourinho dismissed the idea that Napoli might struggle without De Bruyne and Lukaku.

Injuries? "Don't make me laugh," he said.

It's my missing players that worry me, but I don't want to complain. Not having De Bruyne but having McTominay is the same.

They had to change their setup, and now they might be even better.

Napoli's coach, Antonio Conte, is happy with how his team has responded to their injury problems, with Frank Anguissa, Billy Gilmour, Alex Meret, and Stanislav Lobotka also out.

"Right now, the players are showing they're very responsible," Conte said.

Even if there's a small issue, we'll get through it together.

It's hard to replace players in midfield, but the guys have been willing to do whatever it takes, and the same players from the last game are here.

Conte still sees Mourinho as a winner and is excited to compete against him.

It's always great to play against Jose Mourinho's teams, Conte added.

He's a coach who wins, and everyone knows who he is.

It will be good to see him.

LEAGUE UPDATE: MAN UNITED’S CHAMPIONS LEAGUE HOPES BOOSTED BY COEFFICIENT POINTS SURGE

Manchester United move into fourth place as England's dominant UEFA coefficient makes a fifth Champions League spot almost certain.

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Confirmed: Fifth place in PL likely to earn UCL qualification this season

Manchester United just got a real shot in the arm for their Champions League hopes this season. After knocking off Manchester City and Arsenal in back-to-back games, they’ve climbed into fourth place in the Premier League. It’s been a struggle for United to make the Champions League in recent years—their last run was in the 2023/24 season.

These days, finishing in the top four isn’t always enough for Premier League teams. UEFA now hands out extra spots, and it all depends on how clubs from each country perform across the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League.

So, how does it work? UEFA takes each league’s overall coefficient score—basically, a measure of how well their teams do in Europe—and divides it by the number of clubs they have in these competitions.

This season, Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea, Manchester City, and Newcastle all joined the European fight. Out of those six, only Newcastle had to go through the play-offs; the rest sailed straight into the knockouts.

Now that the Champions League group stage is done, you can really see which countries are in line for those bonus spots next year. Right now, England is out in front with 180,625 points. Germany follows with 107,000. Portugal sits in third with 14,700, and Spain is just behind on 14,375.

Here’s the key thing: the two countries whose teams rack up the best results across all three competitions this season each get a European Performance Spot—an extra Champions League place.

With England leading the pack, even a fifth-place finish in the Premier League could send United back into the Champions League instead of the Europa League. Newcastle took advantage of this last season.

If United hold onto fourth, they’re in. But there’s still a lot of football left. Interim boss Michael Carrick isn’t letting anyone get ahead of themselves—he’s already told his players to stay sharp.

Next up, United face Fulham at Old Trafford. They'll be chasing a third straight win and looking to keep Carrick’s perfect record going since he stepped in for Darren Fletcher.

JUST IN: PEP GUARDIOLA THANKS JOSE MOURINHO AFTER WILD NIGHT OF EUROPEAN DRAMA

Pep Guardiola thanks Jose Mourinho as Benfica’s last-gasp winner against Real Madrid sends City straight into the Last-16.

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Pep Guardiola’s oldest rival just saved City’s season

Pep Guardiola had a smile on his face and a message for Jose Mourinho after his old rival did him a huge favour, helping Manchester City sneak into the Champions League knockout rounds.

City took care of their own business, beating Galatasaray 2-0 at the Etihad. Haaland and Cherki got the goals, but the real drama was happening elsewhere. City’s spot in the last eight still hung in the balance because Real Madrid needed to equalise against Benfica. If they had, Guardiola’s squad would have been bumped into the play-offs instead.

That’s when Benfica’s goalkeeper, Anatoliy Trubin, pulled off something wild. He left his box, charged forward for a late free kick, and scored a brilliant goal. Benfica won 4-2. That goal kept Benfica alive in the competition—and, as it turned out, saved City too.

Guardiola admitted he and his players were glued to the screen in the dressing room, completely confused when they saw Trubin running up for that last free kick. “We were all in there, watching, and none of us realised Benfica still needed a goal to qualify,” Guardiola said. “So when their keeper went up, we’re all thinking, ‘What are you doing?’ But Jose knew. It was a smart move. Finishing in the top eight, with how tough the Champions League has become, feels really good for us. Now we can focus on being at our best by March.”

Bernardo Silva didn’t hide how relieved he felt. Skipping those extra play-off games really matters, especially when you’re chasing a quadruple. “A bit of drama, but we did it. We’re very happy because we avoid two more matches,” he said. “With all the injuries we’ve got and the crazy schedule, having those two weeks free to rest, get players back, and focus on the other competitions is huge for us.”

As for Mourinho, he looked proud after Benfica’s wild finish. He’s won this tournament twice before, and he believed his side deserved to stay in. “That was a fantastic goal, a historic moment—almost blew the roof off the stadium,” Mourinho said. “Honestly, for Benfica to beat Real Madrid, that’s massive.”

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