Mourinho Not Putting Premium On Juventus Game

By Max Wise

Jose Mourinho hopes to lead Manchester United to beat Juventus at the Allianz Stadium on Wednesday, but insists his Champions League progress would not be affected should his side lose.

The Red Devils were dominated at Old Trafford a fortnight ago when Juventus won 1-0 through Paulo Dybala’s first-half strike.

Juventus lead Group-H with nine points, five points more than Manchester United, who are followed by Valencia, who are on two points, with Young Boys being last on the table with just a point.

Ahead of Wednesday’s Group-H clash, Mourinho, who confirmed the absence of lead striker Romelu Lukaku, says his side will play to win, but have enough opportunities to make it out of the group from the subsequent games.

"Tomorrow is a big match," says the Portuguese. "It's big enough to just think about the match against Juventus and not what comes after. It's a crucial match for us. We want to compete and we want to win."

"I think the best experience a team can get is against the top teams and tomorrow we have that. They are a big opponent."

"Our defensive organisation is good, but we have too many goals and sometimes we have our weaknesses. Tomorrow is a big match against one of the super favorites for the win. "

"Tomorrow is not crucial for us. Regardless of the result, there are matches with Valencia and Young Boys that will define our future. This does not mean that we should not try to win, and we will do everything to do it.”