Jose Mourinho urged Real Madrid to stay focused before their Champions League meeting with Leipzig at the Santiago Bernabeu and warned his players against complacency. Speaking at Real Madrid City, he said Madrid's immediate objective in the competition is qualification, with the team ninth in the league table on six points from two matches.
Warning before Leipzig match
Mourinho called for full focus as Madrid prepared to host Leipzig at the Santiago Bernabeu. He warned his squad not to underestimate Leipzig despite their recent heavy defeat to Bayern Munich.
Mourinho said: "Leipzig is not the team that lost so badly in Munich. It’s the team that beat PSV, that has three points, and that wants to qualify. We’ve won three matches in a short span and played very well in the last one. We delivered a very complete performance, but we need to keep going. Winning three games doesn’t mean we’ll win the fourth. Tomorrow, we need to play and win."
Recent results and standings
Real Madrid entered the third matchday of the European competition on the back of three consecutive victories across all competitions. GOAL reported that Real Madrid had secured victories over Inter Milan and AS Roma.
Mourinho sets out Madrid's aim
Asked whether Madrid were among the favourites to win the competition, Mourinho rejected that idea as premature.
Mourinho said: "It’s too early. Madrid, at this moment, doesn’t have the goal of winning the Champions. Right now, the goal is to qualify. Afterward, if we reach the points needed to qualify, the next objective is to avoid the playoff, which we had to play last season, and they are two matches that always come with tension and responsibility. They put you in a knockout situation and are games that can be avoided. But looking at the competition, I have the feeling that many points will be necessary to avoid the playoff. We’re taking it step by step. First, we need to reach the first eleven points that allow us to qualify, and then we’ll give it our all to finish among the top eight."