Jose Mourinho believes Chelsea will start doing their season any good by turning around their troubled season if they can seal qualification for the Champions League last 16 on Tuesday.
Mourinho’s side have travelled to Israel to face Maccabi Tel Aviv in their crucial Group G fixture knowing a victory combined with a draw or defeat for Dynamo Kiev against Porto would guarantee their progress to the knockout stages.
That would be a significant boost for Mourinho, who has come under fire following Chelsea’s woeful form in the Premier League.
Buoyed by Chelsea’s 1-0 win over Norwich on Saturday, the Blues boss believes his players’ confidence is finally returning.
“We can qualify tomorrow (Tuesday) and if we play like we are playing lately I think we have a good chance,” Mourinho told a pre-match press conference in Haifa on Monday.
“I like the confidence the team showed against Norwich. I think players are getting their confidence back.”
Mourinho also talked about the security situation which has affected clubs travelling for Champions League fixtures in the aftermath of the Paris attacks that killed 130 people.
The Portuguese coach insisted none of Chelsea’s players were worried about going to Israel.
“I think the best way is to focus on football and leave security questions to the people that know more about these kind of things,” he said.
“I didn’t have a problem in the squad, everyone wanted to come.”
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