Mourinho on Atlético–Barça: 'If only they could both lose!'

Mourinho joked he wishes both Atlético and Barcelona could lose their head-to-head clash, knowing one will drop points and help Real Madrid's title push.

José Mourinho addressed the media ahead of Real Madrid's trip to Valencia, commenting on the weekend's La Liga fixtures. The Portuguese manager made light of the situation facing his side, joking that he wished both Atlético Madrid and Barcelona could lose their upcoming match against each other — though he acknowledged that's impossible and one will inevitably drop points.

Mourinho also reflected on Valencia's stadium Mestalla, which will be demolished next summer. "I don't really miss such things," he said. "I see Valencia as much more than just Mestalla." He expressed confidence that Real Madrid can make significant ground in the title race with a win at Mestalla, where Valencia currently sit second-to-last after 11 matches.

The manager was asked about Cristiano Ronaldo's international retirement announcement. "We have to respect that decision," Mourinho said. "Everyone knows he still has goals in his career. The only thing I want to say: the day he definitively says goodbye to football should be a different kind of day than yesterday was." He declined to comment on speculation about Ronaldo's future coaching prospects.