JOSE MOURINHO says Tottenham have no chance of beating Chelsea.
The Spurs boss hinted he will have to rest some of his top stars for their Carabao Cup fourth round clash against his former club.
Jose Mourinho says Tottenham have no chance of beating ChelseaCredit: AFP
The North Londoners face Maccabi Haifa at home in a Europa League play-off just 48 hours later.
And Mourinho blames the EFL for his club’s punishing fixture schedule.
Mourinho said: “I would like to fight for the Carabao but I don’t think I can.
“We have a game on Thursday that gives us not as much money as the Champions League but the group phase of the Europa League gives us a certain amount that for a club like us is very important.
“It’s a competition with a possible group phase that gives us a good chance to go through to the next knockout stage so this game on Thursday is very important for us.”
After a journalist pointed out that Chelsea have not made a great start to the campaign and Spurs still have a chance of beating them, Mourinho scoffed: “You’re joking or you’re serious?”
When the journalist said she was serious and asked to know why he thought Spurs could not win, he replied: “Because Chelsea played Saturday, they have Sunday and Monday then they play Tuesday and then they play again on the weekend.
“So their fantastic squad, if the manager decides not to rotate he can perfectly play with the players that he wants.
“As you know and forget the past Thursday, we played on the Sunday, now we play on the Tuesday, we play on the Thursday, we play on the Sunday again.
“And I think Sonny was just the first injury. More will come. So was the first, but more will come.”
Son Heung-min could be sidelined for at least a month after going at half-time of yesterday’s 1-1 draw at home to Newcastle with a hamstring injury.
Dele Alli is likely to return to the Tottenham team after being axed for the Toon draw.
Mourinho insisted: “Everybody is in contention. Apart from Sonny, everybody is in contention but I think you can imagine that with a game on Thursday that decides a very important thing for us. I think the EFL made a decision for us.
“They didn’t even create a problem – they made a decision for us. So that’s the decision.”
Tottenham received a third-round bye after opponents Leyton Orient had a large number of players test positive for Covid-19 – ironically after Spurs paid for them to be tested.
The League Two club are furious at missing out on a lucrative live TV clash.
Mourinho admitted: “I have total sympathy for them. I don’t think they did anything wrong.
“They were tested. I think they deserved to play against us, no doubts about it.”
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Take a look around Gareth Bale’s bar and grill pub that is now called Nine’s since Spurs move
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
