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Tottenham manager José Mourinho says Manchester United will be one of the favorites to win the Europa League this season.
Mourinho’s former club falls into secondary European competition after being eliminated from the Champions League on Tuesday with a 3-2 defeat at RB Leipzig.
United won the Europa League in 2016 with Mourinho, who will look to guide his current club, Spurs, to the top of the standings in Thursday’s decider in Group J.
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“Of course now Manchester United have become one of the main favorites to win the competition. The relegated teams are always strong teams, teams that normally do not belong to that level of the Europa League competition.
“Manchester United are one of the best teams. The group was very tough, PSG, Manchester and Leipzig, very tough. We all knew that it was not going to be easy for any of them and we all knew from that group that a top-notch team would enter the Europa League ”.
Real Madrid could also fall into the knockout phase of the competition after the final night of their Champions League group, while Ajax could also join.
Mourinho admits that the quality of the tournament is enhanced by Champions League teams entering after Christmas, but questions the sporting integrity of the tournament.
“It’s a point of principle, and if it happened to my team, I would feel exactly the same,” he said. “That’s right and, honestly, it brings more quality to the competition.
“We cannot forget that when you have eight new teams in the competition and eight teams that belong to another level, and they fall to the Europa League, of course, the level of the competition will improve.
“It certainly improves quality, improves intensity and is a good thing for the competition. But from a sporting point of view, that’s when I think it’s not fair for a team that doesn’t win in one competition to fall into another.
“It is the same as if you imagine the third team in the Europa League, now there is another competition and the third team in the Europa League instead of finishing enters the third competition in the hierarchy of European football.
“It’s just a beginning in football when, if for some reason we don’t get bad luck, next season. But that’s the way it is and it’s not a problem for me ”.
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