Jose Mourinho aims brutal dig at Juventus & Barcelona; 'Failed sharks of Champions League'

Jose Mourinho is known to never shy away from speaking his word and the current Roma boss has once again taken a shot at big European clubs for failing in the Champions League. AS Roma remains in the hunt for a berth in the Round of 32 of the UEFA Europa League (UEL) but a couple of big clubs are in danger of dropping down to the Europa League.

Jose Mourinho takes dig at top European clubs

Barcelona and Juventus are currently in the third spot in their respective Champions League group and could drop down to the Europa League should they both fail to finish second. The former Real Madrid manager couldn't resist taking a cheeky dig at his former rivals. Following the 1-1 draw against Real Betis, Mourinho was asked during the press conference.

If he thought the Spanish sides are favourites to win the group with his side sitting in third. The former Manchester United manager in his reply said: 'I see them [Betis] as candidates, but the failed sharks of the Champions League will arrive, and they will come in hard. hey shouldn't come but it's the reality. It's going to be fun. The failures of the Champions League.'

If Roma fails to qualify in the top two they will drop down to the conference league and stand a chance to defend their title.  Mourinho further said, "We want to go through and finish second, but if we finish third, we'll become candidates to retain the Conference League."

How can Barcelona and Juventus save themselves from elimination to Europa League?

Barcelona can still qualify for the next round of champions league depending on a lot of ifs and buts. Barcelona will have to win all their remaining matches and hope for Plzen to get result in their favour. If Plzen loses to Inter Milan in San Siro, the chances of Barcelona going into the round of 16 are over. If Barca manage to stay in third position, this will be their second consecutive Europa League campaign. 

Juventus also need to win all their matches but rely on the results to qualify for the next stage. Israeli club Maccabi Haifa would have to hold off either PSG or Benfica in order for the Italian giants to have a shot at the round of 16. However, Haifa has not had the best run so far in the Champions League, and hence chances of upset are pretty slim.