Manchester United will be without the trio of Marouane Fellaini, Michael Carrick and Paul Pogba when they take on Russian side, CSKA Moskva, manager, Jose Mourinho has revealed.
Mourinho revealed that his side will be without three midfielders, Fellaini and Carrick, alongside Pogba have all been ruled out due to injuries.
“I won’t have Fellaini, I won’t have Pogba, we won’t have Carrick, so all three midfield players that we lose for this match,” Mourinho said during his pre-match press conference.
“So there are not many solutions, but we try not to focus on individual battles or in specific areas on the pitch. We try to focus on the team and we are going to have a team with quality, with balance, to try to win the match which is our objective.”
Mourinho appeared at the press conference in the company of Henrikh Mkhitaryan, but the Portuguese was quick to dispel any suggestions that the Armenian will be starting tomorrow.
“I’m not saying he starts the match,” Mourinho said of Mkhitaryan. “The reason he comes is because I want to make life easier for you. He speaks Russian.”
The United boss also confirmed that defender, Phil Jones, who missed the opening game, will also not be available to face CSKA.
However, commenting on their opponents on Wednesday, the former Chelsea boss says that while they are a familiar foe, the current CSKA side are possibly the best he’d face.
“I play against CSKA with Real Madrid, with Inter, with Chelsea and now with Manchester United, so it’s something normal in my Champions League career,” Mourinho added.
“To be honest, I always like to be back because it [Moscow] is a beautiful city. Every time I come it’s better and better and better. So, I have to say that it’s a pleasure. Opponents wise, I think it’s the best CSKA that I’m going to play against. I think it’s the best team that I face with CSKA as an opponent,” he said.
