Jose Mourinho says no European football has helped Chelsea as he puts Europa League ahead of FA Cup

@djice

Manchester United have two cup ties this week. One is a glamour occasion in the FA Cup against Jose Mourinho’s former club on the ground where he celebrated three league titles with Chelsea. The other is a run-of-the-mill Europa League fixture against a nondescript Russian side.

If Mourinho’s heart yearns for a victory in Monday’s FA Cup quarter-final at Stamford Bridge, his head recognises Thursday night against Rostov is more important.

“For me it is a game that comes at the wrong moment for us,” Mourinho said of his return to Chelsea. “The Europa League is a competition that can give us a Champions League spot and the FA Cup isn’t so the Europa League is more important than the FA Cup for us and  yet Mourinho is not a man who plays weakened sides even in the League Cup. Manchester City’s tactics of sending a virtual reserve team to an FA Cup tie at Stamford Bridge so they could prioritise a Champions League fixture in Kiev is anathema to him.

There is the memory of the 4-0 thrashing inflicted on him by Chelsea in October - a game which he said contained: “incredible defensive mistakes” - to avenge. Manchester United have lost only one match in all competitions since. Mourinho, incidentally, does not count the 2-1 defeat at Hull in the second leg of the League Cup semi-final because United won the tie on aggregate.