Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho spoke about his team's match against AEK Athens in the Champions League, two days after the team's victory over Racing Santander in the league.
Mourinho spoke about the current situation of his team before the fourth match in the Champions League, and before that, Mourinho was keen to send a message to those affected by the death of Jesus de Miguel.
Mourinho said at the beginning of his speech, which was reported by the Spanish newspaper “Mundo Deportivo”: “The death of Jesus de Miguel represents a shock to the world of football, and to us who are present in the stadiums and compete daily. It's cruel and sad. All my thoughts and words go out to the player's family and friends. “I also think that this is a very difficult time for the other player who was involved in that incident.”
Turning to the sporting aspect, Mourinho stressed the importance of the match against AEK Athens, given the exceptional atmosphere in Greece, saying: “Real Madrid has only won here once in its entire history; “So it is clear that the task will be difficult.”
Regarding individual matters, the topic of Federico Valverde and his participation in the right defender position was raised again, as the Uruguayan player returns to the team in the Champions League, and is expected to occupy the defender position, a position that Mourinho confirmed was not originally planned.
The coach said: “I see Valverde as an important player for the team. Being one of Real Madrid's leaders makes him look at things from a different perspective. When you are a leader, your situation is different from if you are not, as you have a responsibility that pushes you to play in the left defender position if necessary. For this reason, I am absolutely certain that there will be no problem. In fact, the squad was built on the basis that Valverde is a midfielder, and I am confident that he will return to playing in this position again at some point, but at the moment I am very happy with his performance in the left-back position.”
In conclusion, he spoke in a joking manner, as he revealed how long it takes him to build the ideal team, saying: “I will succeed in this within 3 years.”
Dirk Kuyt, the Turkish coach of Fenerbahce, will try to avoid being affected emotionally when he faces his old club Liverpool in the Champions League.
Former Dutch international Kuyt took over the leadership of the Turkish team temporarily following the resignation of coach Ismail Kartal last week.
Kuyt, who wore the Liverpool shirt between 2006 and 2012, confirmed that he was anticipating this match, while at the same time refusing to talk about his conflicting loyalties.
He said in a press conference on Tuesday: “I felt very excited since the draw was made. Everyone realizes the value of Fenerbahce and Liverpool to me, and we realized that we would be facing an exceptional confrontation.”
He added: “It will be an exceptional confrontation for me, but I am not representing myself currently.”
He explained: “I am here for Fenerbahce, and the most important thing remains that we give a distinguished performance and perform with great enthusiasm for the sake of our fans.”
Fenerbahce was satisfied with one win in the last five matches in all competitions.
The Turkish team suffered a heavy loss against Aston Villa with a score of 0-6 in the Champions League last month, and is preparing for a difficult test against Liverpool.
Kuyt continued: “Our team includes very distinguished elements, but we have to perform with great enthusiasm, and I expect that the match will be an exceptional evening.”
The Dutch coach concluded his statements: “Liverpool and Fenerbahce are two great teams, and if we give everything we have tomorrow, it will be a message to Europe that we are an ancient team.”
Argentine Lionel Scaloni announced his country's squad for two friendly matches against Uruguay and Costa Rica, on November 13 and 17, respectively.
This is the first list announced by the Argentine coach, since the historic star Lionel Messi announced his retirement from international football, as he played his last match on October 6 against the Benin national team.
Messi won the World Cup with the Argentina national team in 2022, as it was his most prominent achievement, while he participated in his country's World Cup runner-up finish last summer in 2026 in the United States, Mexico and Canada, after losing to Spain in the final match.
The list did not witness any surprises, as the coach continues to rely on prominent names such as Enzo Fernandez, the Manchester City midfielder, Nico Paz, who is brilliant with the Italian Como, Julián Alvarez, the Atletico Madrid striker, and Emiliano Martinez, the Chelsea goalkeeper.
The following is the list announced by the Argentine Federation on its official website:
Goalkeepers: Emiliano Martinez, Geronimo Rulli, Juan Musso, and Santiago Beltran.
In the defense line, the players included: Gonzalo Montiel, Augustin Giai, Aaron Anselmino, Mariano Truglio, Leonardo Balerdi, Lisandro Martinez, Fucundo Medina, Nicolas Tagliafico, and Roman Vega.
As for the midfield, the players are: Ezequiel Fernandez, Maximo Peroni, Ezequiel Palacios, Valentin Barco, Alexis McAllister, and Enzo Fernandez.
Finally, in the attack, Scaloni chose: Nico Paz, Matias Sule, Franco Mastantuno, Giuliano Simeone, Gianluca Berestiani, Thiago Almada, Jose Lopez, Santiago Castro, and Julián Alvarez.
