Tottenham Hotspur boss Jose Mourinho has told Football London that Arsenal believe they can win the Europa League this season.
Arsenal picked up a 1-1 draw with Benfica last night, which means that their progress to the next round is far from certain.
But Mourinho is not ruling out Mikel Arteta’s side from being very successful in the European competition.
“I always felt that the Champions League for the teams that qualified for the Champions League and Europa League for the teams that qualify for the Europa League, but it is the rules as we have to respect the rules but these teams that drop from the Champions League to the Europa League they become favourites,” Mourinho said.
“Not just them but lots of teams that they think they can win it. Just looking to our country, Tottenham, Arsenal, Manchester United and Leicester for sure all of them want to win and all of them think they can.
“Then you go to many other countries and you find very good teams with similar ambitions so it’s a very difficult competition to win. Lots of matches.”
Both Arsenal and Tottenham seem determined to win the Europa League this season.
The North London pair have not performed to expectations in the Premier League, so this may be their best route into next season’s Champions League now.
Arsenal and Spurs both named strong line-ups last night, but it was Mourinho’s side who were more successful.
Tottenham cruised to a 4-1 victory over Wolfsberger AC in their tie, as they effectively booked their place in next round early.
Arsenal, meanwhile, dominated the game against Benfica – but their failure to win means that their tie still remains in the balance.
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