Mourinho underlines Man Utd ambitions ahead of Benfica test

Jose Mourinho admits Manchester United face a tough nut to crack in Benfica, but hopes to claim their fourth win of Champions League Group A.

Benfica have lost all three Group A matches to date but Mourinho is expecting a tough evening, having edged past them 1-0 after a goalkeeping mistake in Portugal a fortnight ago.

United will wrap up a place in the Champions League last 16 if they gain a better result than third-placed CSKA Moscow do against Basel.

“Our aim is basically to qualify,” he said. “Ten points would be OK for qualifying but our main aim is to finish first in the group.

“We know the statistics are what they are but Basel has had good results against CSKA and Benfica. A draw is not bad but Benfica will give us a difficult match.

“They have their own ambition and pride, and they will try to win but we want to get to the last 16 as first in the group.”

Mourinho, meanwhile, believes striker Romelu Lukaku should be immune from criticism from the fans, such has been his form since joining the club.

“The fans are the fans and I also know that the fans paid their tickets, they are free to express themselves the way they want to express but my job is to protect my players and I think Romelu is one of the players that should be untouchable in terms of the respect from everyone,” the United boss said.

“It’s not one goal or one ball that hit the post or one that can make Romelu contribution below the top level, he’s playing extremely well for us and I have to protect my players when I feel they deserve it and Romelu always deserves it because what he does for the team is fantastic, and playing football for a striker is not just about scoring goals.”

Much has also been made about the style of football Manchester United play under Mourinho – you can read Gary Neville’s defence of the Portuguese coach here.