Jose Mourinho has stated that anything is possible for Manchester United if they advance into the quarter-finals of this season’s UEFA Champions League.
United will on Tuesday host Sevilla in the second leg of their round of 16 tie after holding the Spanish side to a 0-0 draw in the reverse fixture three weeks ago.
Speaking on Monday in his pre-match pres conference ahead of the game, Mourinho said United will start “smelling” the semi-finals if they manage to get past Sevilla.
“I think we’re not one of the best teams in the competition,” said Mourinho. “But when a team arrives in the last eight, anything can happen.
“When you’re in the last sixteen it looks really far, but in the last eight you start smelling the semi-finals.
“When a team gets into the last eight, the feeling is you are among the best, but anything can happen.
”If we go through to the quarter-finals, it doesn’t matter the opponent, it will always be one of the big names in European football, but we’ll try.”
Mourinho who faced Sevilla during his time as Real Madrid boss, added: “We’re playing against a team that didn’t lose against Liverpool home and away, scored goals against Liverpool, drew against Liverpool.
“Liverpool are a very good team, with an important stadium and with a big tradition, so it says Sevilla are a really good team.
“We won 2-1 against Liverpool on Saturday and at the end of the game there were some who said it was a disaster.
“So imagine if we were knocked out – it would be considered a disaster, but for me it would be a disappointment.
“I don’t think we’re candidates to win the competition. But when you draw away, even though it’s a 0-0, we get to decide the tie at home.
“We don’t have to win by three, four, five goals, we have to win 1-0, 2-1, 5-4, 8-7. So not to win would be a disappointment.”
The former Chelsea manager reflected on how United eventually returned to the Champions League by winning last season’s Europa League.
“I think the Europa League final was our most important match in the last few years, because we won it and that victory brought us to our natural habitat, which is the Champions League,” said Mourinho.
“United has to be a team in the Champions League, so that victory was very important for us because we finished outside the top four. By winning the Europa League we won a title and got back into the Champions League.”
And on the injury front, Mourinho confirmed Anthony Martial is fit and available to play against Sevilla but was undecided on Paul Pogba.
“He (Martial) did train after you (reporters) left. I don’t know. We don’t know yet, but he (Pogba) trained a little bit after you left.”
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