Chelsea vs. Manchester United: Jose Mourinho's Key Pre-Match Comments

Manchester United coach Jose Mourinho has said he will field his "strongest-possible side" as he takes the Red Devils to visit his former club Chelsea in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Monday.

Speaking to MUTV (h/t the club's official website), the self-proclaimed Special One confirmed he will not be resting any of his stars as United continue their battle in the Premier League and UEFA Europa League.

The Portuguese boss said:

"

We have to go to London. It's really hard. We don't have Zlatan [Ibrahimovic], of course not, but we go with everything we have. We don't put a [weakened] team out like some clubs sometimes - Manchester United cannot do that.

We know this Europa League is very important for us, and the FA Cup is beautiful. We cannot go there with a [Reserve] team, we'll try to manage it within our squad and get a good team to compete with them.

"

He continued: "Manchester United is Manchester United; it's the winner of this competition. It's not Chelsea's fault we were given this Monday match. We'll make changes, as we played on Thursday, but we cannot go to Chelsea with a [Reserve] team."

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Ibrahimovic is out for three games after receiving a ban for violent conduct from the Football Association, according to BBC Sport. He will also miss the Premier League encounters against Middlesbrough and West Bromwich Albion.

Mourinho also spoke about his thoughts on United's schedule as the team juggles the balls with the fixtures coming thick and fast.

The manager told MUTV: "We want to keep two doors open. We have to keep getting points in the Premier League to keep our chances open and if we get through the knock-out round here, we're in the quarter-finals and feel the door is open, so we have to try.

"We have a trophy in our pocket, which is a good feeling for everyone. Now we have the Premier League for the fight for the top four and we have the Europa League fight for Rostov."

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On his return to Stamford Bridge, Mourinho added: "Chelsea? It's no different. Obviously before the game and after the game, I'll meet some fans and some people I like. The relation with the fans was always good but, for me, it's just professional."

United are 17 points behind Chelsea in the English league, but anything can happen during the unpredictability of the FA Cup.

The Blues will be favourites going into the clash, but United have emitted defensive steel in recent months since they were thrashed 4-0 at the Bridge in October.