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“Their target is the European Cup this year,” Ferguson said of Mourinho and Real. “They got a bad start in the league and they’re chasing their tails because Barcelona’s form is incredible. So I think Jose has set his sights on the European Cup this year, there’s no doubt about that.”
Real, the Spanish champions, trail Barcelona by 16 points in La Liga and the expectation is that Mourinho will leave the club this summer.
He would dearly love to do so having won the Champions League with a third club, an unprecedented achievement.
“He’d be the only person to win the European Cup with three different teams, so it’s a fantastic challenge for him,” Ferguson said.
“I think the European Cup has always been important to him. He’s done a great job there, he’s got a terrific squad of players. But there’s no secret to his desire to win the European Cup.”
Despite his claims about Real feeling the pressure ahead of Wednesday’s first leg, Ferguson suggested he would avoid the pre-match mind games so beloved by Mourinho.
“Jose probably enjoys that [the mind games] more than I do,” he told the BBC’s Football Focus. “He’s brilliant at it. He plays games too and he enjoys that part. He has that mischievous part of him — you’re never quite sure what he’s up to.
“My message to myself is that I’m not going down that road and try to contest that, because he’s a clever bugger, you know.
I’ll let him get along with it and if he keeps bringing a decent bottle of wine, he’s welcome to it.
It will be a fantastic game: I watch Real every week so I’m looking forward to it.”
Despite Mourinho’s focus being on the Champions League, the fact that Madrid face Barcelona in the league, sandwiched between the two legs of the last-16 tie, should aid Ferguson’s cause. — The Telegraph.
Online Reporter