MIND GAMES

'I hear everything that Ferguson says and I wonder what he is so worried about and why he is so afraid,' said Mourinho.

'His team are big and powerful, we have only a small budget and after this game will probably only have our league season to think about. Maybe for them it's a problem with the result. I'm sure if they win 5-0 we won't hear any of these stupid things about diving, cheating or referees.”

'I know what it is like to be in his situation. We are the top team in Portugal and we don't lose many games but when we do so against smaller teams, it is not easy to accept and it is not easy to live with.”

'I do not agree with the things he is saying about my players and the Roy Keane situation is not our problem anymore, other than I had someone banned for three games, not one, for doing something which wasn't as bad as that.”

'Maybe it is mind games on Ferguson's part. All I would say is I have a strategy too.”

'Football is a game based on emotion and intelligence. Anyone can be clever, the trick is not to think the other guy is stupid.'

In his flawless English, Mourinho added:

'From the start of this competition, Manchester United were one of the favourites to win it while we just hoped to reach the second stage,'

'They have a wonderful team, with wonderful players. People talk about their defence but they haven't conceded a goal at home in Europe this season. They think they are better than us, all they have to do is go on to the pitch and prove it, then we will go home with a smile on our faces.'

'People keep saying we are a poor team away from home,' he said. 'I don't know where they get that from. We drew at Real Madrid and Partizan Belgrade and have beaten Marseille. We will not be afraid to go out there and play tomorrow night.'