José Mourinho is confident that Fenerbahçe will qualify for the Champions League play-offs at the expense of Feyenoord next week in Istanbul. In his argument, the coach pointed to his previous results against the Rotterdam team outside De Kuip.
Mourinho was not worried about the 2-1 defeat in Rotterdam at Wednesday’s press conference. “You know I never win in this stadium? But I always win the second game,” the Portuguese said about the return leg.
Mourinho previously lost with Manchester United and AS Roma in De Kuip (both 1-0), but then won the second game against Feyenoord. In 2016, Feyenoord lost 4-0 to United. In 2023, Roma was far too strong in the return (4-1).
“If I had felt that Feyenoord was better today and had caused us enormous problems, I would have said that we had little chance in the second game. They may have been slightly better in the first half, but we were many times better in the second half.”
“The return will not be easy. You never know how it will go. It remains football. But the feeling is good,” said Mourinho, who warned Feyenoord. “I say: welcome to Istanbul, welcome to Kadiköy (the district where Fenerbahçe’s stadium is located, ed.), welcome to hell.”
Hadj Moussa makes De Kuip explode with winning goal in injury time
Amrabat: ‘Fenerbahçe deserved the win more’
Sofyan Amrabat is also confident of a good outcome for Fenerbahçe. The midfielder, who scored the equalizer for the Turkish club, felt that his team deserved the win more than Feyenoord.
“We have a sour aftertaste,” the former Feyenoord player told Ziggo Sport. “You deservedly come to 1-1. Feyenoord started strong in the first twenty minutes. But after that we grow into the game.”
Amrabat believes that Fenerbahçe dominated the game in the second half. “If one team deserved the win, it was us. But one moment of slackness and you concede a goal. That’s annoying.”