José Mourinho appeared in the press room at Real Madrid City ahead of the team’s Champions League opener against Inter Milan at the Santiago Bernabéu on Tuesday (9:00 PM), making his priorities clear for the first European night of the season.

“I want to win. I could tell you I want to play well, but I don't want to play well like against Betis and lose. I want to win. We're in a phase where we play eight matches, and the objective is to qualify. I think we're going to do it. I want to approach this match as a single game. I don't want to think that we're going to have seven more matches. I want to win.”

The Portuguese manager also reflected on his previous experiences at the Bernabéu in the Champions League, where he has enjoyed both success and disappointment.

“At the Bernabéu, I’ve won a Champions League title and lost a Champions League semi-final on penalties. I’ve experienced both the best and the worst in this stadium. But I’m not thinking about that, neither the positive nor the negative. Tomorrow is a Champions League match, which isn’t absolutely crucial because it’s not a knockout round. I think both we and Inter will qualify. But it’s a match that will be played tomorrow. Every point is important. I’m sure a team like Inter will come looking for points.”

Mourinho was also pleased with how his players had reacted following Saturday’s defeat to Real Betis, insisting that the team has become increasingly convinced that its performance in Seville was better than the result suggested.

“I’ve seen them the way I like to see them. I saw them completely exhausted in the dressing room in Seville after the match. I saw them quite recovered in Sunday’s training session, and today they were perfectly normal. Afterwards, we analyzed the matches we’ve played. We’re increasingly convinced that we played well as a team and that the goals we missed were an anomaly. Tomorrow we’re going to compete and we’re going to want to win.”

With three players suspended for the clash against Inter, Mourinho was also asked about his plans for the starting XI. However, he refused to reveal his tactical solution.

“I could be here for five minutes just wandering around. Three players are suspended and unavailable. The algorithm has chosen this match to be played in this situation. Your question is obvious, and I expected it. We have four or five options, and we could discuss them all, but in the end, I'm not going to tell you anything.”

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