Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho wants Arsenal knocked out of Champions League
The Portuguese coach has a long-standing rivalry with Gunners boss Arsene Wenger
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Your support makes all the difference.Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has admitted that he does not want Arsenal to qualify for the Champions League knockout phase.
The Gunners, who currently sit third in Group F, face an uphill task to qualify after three defeats in five games.
Arsene Wenger’s side must beat second-placed Olympaikos away from home by two clear goals in the final round of fixtures in order to reach the competition’s latter stages.
However, according to the Daily Mirror, Mourinho has revealed he would like to see Arsenal eliminated because of his long-term friendship with the Greek side’s coach Marco Silva.
“I would always like English teams to qualify, first,” Mourinho said.
“They [Arsenal] are in a group where a kid friend of mine is the manager of Olympiakos and it would be fantastic for the kid’s career to go through.
“So I have to be honest and say that I would like the kid and Olympiakos to go on, and we know that Bayern go through for sure.”
Despite his link with Silva, many will see the Chelsea manager’s comments as evidence that his long-standing rivalry with Wenger is still in rude health.
The pair have not seen eye-to-eye since Mourinho’s first took charge at Stamford Bridge in 2004 and have regularly exchanged veiled insults in the press ever since.
Last season, they came to physical blows on the touchline during a Premier League encounter between the two clubs.
Nevertheless, the 52-year-old coach does believe Arsenal are capable of qualifying in Greece, despite having lost to Olympiakos on each of their last three visits.
“The reality is that Arsenal can still do it. Arsenal can perfectly go to Athens and win.
“Even having a bad group phase – because to lose at home to Olympiakos and to lose in Zagreb and to lose six points they should win is bad – they can qualify.
“It’s not my problem, it’s their problem, but the reality is that first of all they can qualify, and secondly if they go into the Europa League then they become favourites to win.
“So I think they can have success in the Champions League by going to the next round and they can succeed in the Europa League because then they become favourites, so I think they have a lot to play for.”
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