20.08.2025 02:55
Before the first match of the Champions League Play-Off where Fenerbahçe will host Benfica, head coach Jose Mourinho spoke about the potential transfer of Kerem Aktürkoğlu. Mourinho stated, "If Kerem plays, he will play for Benfica tomorrow. I cannot think of Kerem as a Fenerbahçe player. He could play against us. There is such a possibility."
Fenerbahçe Technical Director Jose Mourinho made statements that will be widely discussed before the first match of the UEFA Champions League Play-Off against Benfica.
"I CANNOT THINK OF KEREM AS A FENERBAHÇE PLAYER"
Speaking about the possible transfer of Kerem Aktürkoğlu to Fenerbahçe at the meeting, the Portuguese coach said, "If Kerem plays, he will play for Benfica tomorrow. I cannot think of Kerem as a Fenerbahçe player. He can play against us. There is such a possibility," he stated.
Mourinho's statements are as follows;
"Our fans helped us a lot in the Feyenoord match, and we reached our goal. We cannot negatively affect Benfica; they are used to playing in tough atmospheres. However, I am sure they can positively affect our own players. We felt the power of the fans when we were 1-0 down against Feyenoord and came back to lead 4-2. Therefore, even though tomorrow is the first match and not a decisive one, our fans should maintain the same mentality. They should help us like they did in the Feyenoord match."
"To be honest, there is not much connection between the Turkish League and the Champions League. Being in the Champions League will add very positive things for us. It is very important to play against the best teams in terms of economy and brand. In this format, there will be 8 opponents instead of 3. Therefore, playing in the Champions League is very positive. In the Europa League, our chances of winning are higher. I think there are many positive things in the Champions League, and if we qualify for the Europa League, we can achieve great things. There is no connection between the Champions League and the Turkish League. The biggest challenge is that Europa League matches are on Thursday and league matches are on Sunday. This makes it a bit more complicated. Because in the Champions League, you play on Tuesday or Wednesday."
"BENFICA PLAYS BETTER"
"Benfica is much stronger than Feyenoord. When we eliminated Feyenoord, I said, 'Benfica is not happy either.' Maybe they are happy; I don't know. As the Fenerbahçe coach, I would have preferred Nice. Because Benfica is much stronger. We need to play much better because Benfica plays better than Feyenoord. They have strong players, a good coach, they defend well, and they had a good camp. They know how to play counter-attacking football. They have good substitutes and many solutions. They are a Champions League team. They are an opponent that should be played in the Champions League, not in the qualifiers. We made mistakes against Feyenoord; we conceded 4 goals. If we concede 4 goals from Benfica, we cannot score 5. Therefore, we need to play better.