Benfica, Mourinho: "Absences at Napoli? Don't make me laugh! We have them too, but I'm not crying..."

José Mourinho makes no secret of his urgency to win. Tomorrow night, Benfica will face Napoli in a crucial match to qualify for the Champions League playoffs, and the Special One knows full well that the Portuguese team's European future hinges on this match.

"Don't make me laugh about the missing players, because not having De Bruyne is the same as having McTominay. If Lukaku doesn't play, Hojlund is there. I have some significant absences, but I don't want to cry. Napoli's bench is different; if you look at who's playing, you forget about who's missing. By changing the system, they've become a better team.", said Mourinho in the pre-match press conference.

Despite his past in the Premier League and some sparks between the benches, Mou has great respect for Antonio Conte: "It's impossible to believe Conte's teams are weak; they have a unity and tactical awareness of the highest order. He's very demanding in the transfer market, and he always finds a way to build a strong squad. In terms of preparation, he's one of the best."

Mourinho will reunite with some former players, such as McTominay and Spinazzola, but he stresses that the emotion remains marginal compared to the main objective: These are emotional pre- and post-match things. Nothing more. It's not like I think about these things during the game. We have to win this match against a very strong opponent; it will be a very difficult match for us. We'll do everything we can to get the result we want.

Mourinho makes no concessions regarding Napoli's strength: "They're strong in offensive and defensive transitions, with three or four players. Napoli can do so many things. The offensive transition isn't just Højlund, but also Spinazzola, Olivera, Di Lorenzo on the wings, McTominay and his sprints. They're a great team, as I said."