Mourinho mocks the La Liga decision and reveals an impossible dream in the Barcelona-Atletico clash

Does the Portuguese coach fear Valencia?

José Mourinho has voiced his fears over Real Madrid's trip to the Mestalla, stressing how difficult the clash with Valencia will be after his side's exhausting fixture against AEK Athens in Greece.

Speaking at the press conference ahead of the Valencia fixture, Mourinho said: "This match is one of the hardest matches in the whole of La Liga."

The Portuguese went on: "Valencia's coach is extremely tough, he has vast experience, he knows what he wants, and he has a clear philosophy in working with teams, so it will be an extremely difficult match. I feel afraid of tomorrow's match, and I mean afraid between quotation marks."

That warning came alongside talk of the balance between the players' need for rest and their duty to join their national teams during the upcoming international break. "The national team is not my problem, and it does not worry me at all that a player should have the honour of representing his country," he explained. "The problem for me is tomorrow's match, against a team that is well prepared, that has had a full week to get ready for the encounter, and that is led by a coach who is not worried about the way his team will play."

Mourinho also revealed the measures he took to help his players recover after returning from Greece. "We arrived at three in the morning, but we stayed at Valdebebas, and no player went home, in order to get two extra hours of sleep," he said.

On the players' physical condition, he added: "The indicators that have reached me are positive, and there is no need to exaggerate and paint things in a tragic light."

A question about the rest arrangements handed Mourinho the chance to take a sarcastic swipe at La Liga over the Saturday kick-off. "Konaté and Huijsen will play tomorrow," he said. "And thanks to the decision to hold the match on Saturday, the players who are going to join their national teams will be in a state of recovery, and I will give them a day to rest."

Real Madrid came home from Athens with fresh conviction about Fede Valverde's versatility, his ability to add something in various positions, and his growth as a leader and club captain.

Mourinho said of the player: "I cannot compare him to what he was last season, because I did not know him back then. He is a wonderful professional, a friend to his team-mates, and he does not need to be a voice present every second, but he is always there as a role model for everyone. Officially being given the captain's armband has given him a sense of responsibility, because wearing Real Madrid's captaincy armband is not an easy matter."

On the eagerly awaited clash between Atlético Madrid and Barcelona, a huge fixture in the battle for the top places, Mourinho summed up his stance in a single line: "I hope both teams lose."

His stance on cancelling the round after the death of Jesús de Miguel

Mourinho was also asked whether he backed calls to cancel the round's fixtures following the tragic death of Jesús de Miguel.

The Portuguese replied: "According to the information that has reached me, there will be a beautiful tribute ceremony, and I believe this carries an important significance. If it were possible to speak with Jesús and put the question to him, that would be the ideal decision, but since that is impossible, only his family and his team-mates can answer what Jesús would have preferred, and whether he would have wanted football matches not to be held, or to be remembered through a beautiful and comprehensive tribute from the whole of Spanish football."