Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has admitted he expects three teams to challenge for the Premier League title at the end of the season, but refused to confirm if he thought his team would be one of them, reported theGuardian.
Mourinho takes his United side to the home of his former club Chelsea on Sunday afternoon; his first return to Stamford Bridge since the Blues sacked him in December 2015. Mourinho currently sees his United side trail fifth-placed Chelsea by two points in the Premier League table.
Both teams were tipped as potential title contenders at the start of the campaign but have struggled in the early stages of the season, with the likes of Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester City and Liverpool setting the pace. Mourinho though thinks that even a short spell of poor form for any side could see them slip out of contention for the title.
He said:You look to the table and the distances are so short. It looks like the team that wins three matches in a row is immediately in the top three or four. And the team that has a bad run for a couple of results, just a couple, goes immediately outside the top four. It looks like it is going to be tight.
We are in a period where some teams are having easier fixtures. If they win two or three of those easy fixtures and the other ones are playing between them, they share points, like what happened at Liverpool and Tottenham against Liverpool.
My feeling is it will be close and probably one team that you think is playing for the title in March, probably in May doesn't finish in the top four.�
When quizzed about who would be competing for the title come the final weeks, he added:Probably not six, probably three.Probably during the run somebody will fall a little bit. I am not a gambler but, if I was, I wouldn't bet a lot on the title or top four because there is a big risk of losing money.
I knew that working in England, staying in the Premier League, I would sooner or later have to play against Chelseaand I would have to go to Stamford Bridge. The computer has decided that I have to go now, so we go.�
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