Mourinho warns of Leipzig threat, says only the crest is untouchable at Real
Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho dismissed RB Leipzig's 6-1 loss at Bayern as a guide and confirmed Vinicius Junior will play on Wednesday, while insisting no player is untouchable.
Archive image · Photo: Zafer / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 (cropped and resized)
Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho said on Tuesday that RB Leipzig should not be judged on their 6-1 thrashing at Bayern Munich ahead of Wednesday's Champions League meeting in Madrid. Mourinho said Leipzig were not the team that had lost to Bayern Munich, according to the dpa news agency, pointing instead to their 1-0 win over PSV Eindhoven. "Tomorrow we have a referee who does not accept joking around," he added, according to Goal.
Mourinho confirmed Vinicius Junior will play in the Champions League despite the Brazilian's domestic suspension, but rejected the idea of a protected status for any star. "There is no player who is untouchable. I do not like this concept of there being a player who cannot be left out," he said, adding that performance on the pitch decides selection.
Defender Ibrahima Konate, a former Leipzig player, said facing his old club would be a very special game for him. Kick-off is at 9 p.m. local time on Wednesday.