ISTANBUL — Few men in modern football relish theatrical stagecraft quite like José Mourinho, and on Thursday evening in Istanbul, the Portuguese tactician will lock horns with Manchester United in an eagerly anticipated UEFA Europa League Matchday 3 encounter.
Mourinho, who steered United to their last European trophy when winning this competition in 2017, held court in trademark fashion ahead of the clash at Fenerbahçe’s deafening Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium.
"They are a team with tremendous individual quality and deep resources," Mourinho remarked with a wry smile. "If you ask me who the two favorites to win the Europa League are, it is easy: Manchester United and Tottenham. The Premier League is a different universe of speed and expenditure. But tomorrow they come to our home, where 50,000 passionate souls will fight for every ball with us."
For Erik ten Hag, the trip to Turkey comes fraught with peril. United sit on just two points after squandering leads against Twente and Porto, and they make the journey without suspended captain Bruno Fernandes following his red card in Portugal.
With Fernandes out, Christian Eriksen and Manuel Ugarte are set to anchor the midfield behind Rasmus Højlund and Marcus Rashford, while Fenerbahçe boast former Red Devils midfielder Sofyan Amrabat and veteran playmaker Dušan Tadić.
A defeat in Istanbul would leave United languishing in the bottom half of the 36-team Europa League standings, intensifying the scrutiny on Ten Hag ahead of Sunday’s Premier League visit to West Ham.
Kickoff is at 20:00 BST in Istanbul, with a hostile cauldron awaiting the English giants.