has mocked Barcelona and several other big European clubs who are on the verge of exiting the .
After the latest round of European fixtures, several of the continent’s elite teams are at serious risk of getting knocked out of the UCL at the group stage, including Barcelona who played out a thrilling 3-3 draw with Inter Milan on Tuesday.
Other notable sides at risk include , , Tottenham, AC Milan and Juventus.
In a slight tweak to the format, clubs who finish third in the Champions League groups will play teams that finish second in the Europa League groups, with the winner advancing to the latter competition’s round of 16.
As a result, Mourinho’s Roma could come face to face with one of these teams, with the Serie A side currently third in their Europa League group behind Real Betis and Ludogorets.
And the former Inter and Real Madrid boss couldn’t help but make a cheeky dig at the likes of Juventus and Barcelona, when asked if Betis could be favourites for the trophy after they drew 1-1 with Roma on Thursday night.
‘I see them as candidates, but the failed sharks of the Champions League will arrive in the Europa League and they will come in hard,’ he smirkingly told reporters.
‘They shouldn’t come but it’s the reality. It will be fun.
‘The failures of the Champions League.’
Of course, Roma still need to qualify from their group, but the ex-Chelsea, Manchester United and Spurs manager did not seem too worried about failing to do that.
Mourinho added: ‘We want to go through and finish second, but if we finish third, we’ll become candidates to retain the Conference League.’
Last season, Mourinho’s Roma won the inaugural Europa Conference League, the manager’s fourth major European trophy after his Champions League triumphs with Porto and Inter, as well as the Europa League win with United.
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